The Inu and the Okami
by VampireBasket
Summary: Hana Inuzuka is used to her brother bringing in stray animals to her veterinary clinic, but when he discovers a lone, female injured wolf in the Fire Country forest, they realise he may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew this time. All is never just as it seems... KibaxOC, Rating for language.
1. The Inu and the Okami

**A/N:** Hello again, lovely readers of Fanfiction! This is an idea I've been toying with over the past few days and bits of detail and character kept springing out at me, so I figured I may as well write them down. This is resulting Chapter one of my musings.

If people like it then I'll continue to work on it! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, only my plotline and OCs.

* * *

 **The Inu and the Okami**

Kiba shook the water from himself violently, mirroring his canine companion's action perfectly. The river's water had been cool and refreshing after their long day of travelling, but neither of the two wanted to linger in the dark forest for too long.

Their mission had been a mere C-rank, only requiring basic observations after a robbery scare in one of the Fire Country's Northern villages, which is why only the Inu pair had been selected. Besides, Kiba and Akamaru were more than capable of taking care of themselves should they encounter any bandits or rogues along the way.

'Come on, let's keep moving, boy.' He stood from the riverside and patted the large white dog, reaching up to lift himself onto its back when a long, drawn out noise reached his sensitive ears. A howl?

'What the…'

Akamaru's hackles rose slightly, head tilting in surprise. _There's no wolves in the Fire country…_

Kiba debated momentarily on how to proceed, but another long and pained-sounding cry shattered the silence of the night before he could leave, and his head turned in the direction of the sound. It was close, and sounded solitary. _Lonely_ , almost. There was no response to the howl, confirming his idea that the creature was unaccompanied.

'That howl… She's calling for others of her kind.' It was the dog that spoke, quietly and in a language that only members of the Inuzuka clan could understand. 'But she's not getting any reply so she seems to be alone.'

'I figured as much.' Kiba nodded. 'Guess it can't hurt to check it out then, right?'

The dog dipped his head and gave a single, low bark in agreement, and the pair began to move towards the source, senses alert as they sniffed the atmosphere.

The Inuzukas could tell a lot from a single scent – it was their specialty. As he walked, he assessed the situation. There was definitely only one. A female, from the smell of it, and there was blood. A lot of blood, but it smelled old, as though it had only been shed several days before. Even so, the stench was so strong in the night that he wondered how he'd missed it before.

'I can hear her breathing. This way!' Kiba's furry companion suddenly nudged his side, pushing him further into the trees until they arrived at a small clearing. The wolf noticed them instantly, so there was no longer any point hanging back until they deemed it safe. If she wanted to attack, she would.

Cautiously, the Inu pair emerged from behind a tree trunk, Akamaru shuddering at the sight.

She was standing… no, _cowering_ at the edge of the treeline, her ears pinned back in fear as their eyes met across the clearing. She had one forepaw raised off the ground slightly, dried blood and dirt covering her entire coat, though it was clear that the majority of red conjugated around the lifted front leg. The Inu nin could tell even from a distance that she was hesitant to put pressure on it.

'You're a _long_ way from home, aren't you, girl?'

Taking a cautious step forward, he watched as the wolf's scarlet eyes flashed with suspicion at the motion. He heard Akamaru whine gently behind him, trying to reassure the she-wolf that they meant no harm, while the dog nin continued to inch across the clearing. He paused around two meters away when her body shrunk slightly, changing position.

Her tail sloped down between her back legs, hackles raised and lips curled upwards just enough to show her teeth. It was a blatant display of defence posture that Kiba recognised all too well, but he also knew from experience that it was a stance intended to avoid violence, not ignite it. He didn't blame her for not trusting him, in fact he expected it, and usually he would comply and leave her be.

He sighed inwardly as his eyes fell on her injured leg once more, the once silvery grey fur now stained crimson. He couldn't leave her out here alone like that.

Kneeling down, Kiba held one hand out to hover just before her muzzle, palm forward as though pushing her back. She barely even acknowledged the gesture.

'Come on, girl. I can't help you if you don't help me…' He murmured softly, keeping his eyes trained on a spot just past her head, so he could still watch her reactions without looking her directly in the eye.

Finally, her ears flickered ever-so-slightly to rest at a more relaxed angle, her nose touching his palm so briefly that he hardly even felt it.

He couldn't hold back a grin as he carefully shifted again for a better view of her injury. 'There we go. Now, let me see that leg.'

The bloodied wolf allowed him to examine her paw, though he didn't miss the way her body remained stiff and anxious, as though ready to run or fight at any moment. Relief flooded through him at the discovery that the bone remained intact, however there was some nasty tooth marks and tearing to her pastern ligaments – no wonder she was struggling to walk! Though he was no vet, he silently thanked his older sister, Hana for all those boring and seemingly pointless lectures on Akamaru's anatomy. Whatever animal had done this had clearly been deadly serious. He wondered absently what kind of prey she'd been stalking out here, and all alone. Didn't wolves hunt in packs? Where were the others?

'Alright. It's not broken, but that needs medical treatment as soon as possible. Luckily for you, I know just the vet.' He winked at the wolf, whose eyes only clouded slightly in confusion and mistrust, however she made no further complaint when he called his giant canine companion to his side.

The dog stood at least twice the size of her small-wolf-sized frame, and the Konaha pair could have sworn they saw her frown when the realisation of what they were planning dawned on her.

'Oh yeah, you got it. Come on, there's no other way to move you unless you wanna sit out here all night and wait for a hunter to find you!' He waggled his finger in front of her snout teasingly, but dropped the joke when her fangs bared viciously in a sudden display of fury at the word 'hunter'.

'Okay, okay, I'm just kidding. But seriously, this is the only way.'

Akamaru bowed his head to just below her eye level, a low whimper escaping his mouth as she assessed her options. Apparently resigning herself to the fact that she had no other choice, she allowed the pair to shift her body onto the large white canine's back. She hung there limply, looking completely pathetic and feeling immensely sorry for herself, as they began the journey back to the Leaf.

Hana was still in the surgery when they arrived, just as Kiba knew she would be. It was already gone midnight, but his sister was, without a doubt, the biggest workaholic he'd ever met. She was aware of him approaching before he actually arrived from his and Akamaru's scent, but it was the thick and unmistakeable stench of unidentified blood that had her tapping her foot with her hands on her hips as he entered the building.

'Kiba Inuzuka! What in God's name have you gotten yourself into–' She started, but her words were silenced with a gasp as she caught sight of the pitiful creature on Akamaru's back. Somewhere along the journey, the wolf had slipped into unconsciousness. Now, Kiba had brought in his fair share of injured animals before, but never something so unusual as a wolf!

'You gotta help her, Sis, she's hurt bad.'

Hana nodded, immediately shifting into professional vet mode and shooing them into the consult room. 'Where on Earth did you find an injured _wolf_ , Kiba?'

'North East of the village, just shy of the border between Fire country and the Hidden Waterfall.'

'Alone?' His sister frowned. It certainly was unusual to find a wolf in this country, never mind a lone, female wolf.

'Yeah, there was no trace of any others.'

'I see. Perhaps this is why she was on her own…' The woman had lifted the blood covered leg and was holding it tenderly in both hands as she checked the damage.

'What do you mean?' Kiba frowned, and Akamaru yipped in equal confusion.

'See these markings?' Hana ghosted a finger over the torn ligament. 'They weren't made just by any old prey animal. They're wolf bites.'

'Wolf…?' His onyx eyes widened in disbelief. 'But why would…'

'There's lots of possible reasons, but right now you need to leave me to it, I can't work with you hanging over me like that.' The older Inuzuka scolded, rolling her eyes when her kid brother scowled in defiance, standing his ground. She turned to face him fully, standing up at her full height which, though was still shorter than his, told him she meant business.

His frown deepened and he looked about to complain again, but finally let his gaze drop slightly as he huffed. Hana smirked. He may be the next heir to their clan, but he was not the alpha yet. Since their father had left, that role had fallen to their mother, Tsume. And while Hana was in fact not the next in line, despite being the older sibling, her ranking still technically outweighed Kiba's. For now…

'Fine, fine, just let me know when you're done. I'll be in my room. Come on, Akamaru.' The large dog grunted in response, trotting after his master obediently as they exited the surgery.

Hana worked on the she-wolf well into the night, binding her healing chakra with the ligaments, then closing and bandaging the wound. There was something strange about this particular wolf's chakra network, something Hana was unfamiliar with even with her many years of experience in animal medics. It was almost like a mutation, which was unheard of in such a creature. Wolves were well known as pure-breds from the old countries.

She frowned upon the discovery, but when it failed to prevent her from working, she decided to temporarily ignore that little detail, since the early hours of the morning were beginning to creep up on her.

When she was finished, she wiped her brow tiredly and moved the still sleeping animal into the recovery kennels located at the back of the building. Once she was satisfied, she let out a long breath as a wave of exhaustion washed over her and she allowed herself to lock up. Figuring Kiba would already be asleep, she bypassed his room entirely, her legs leading her subconsciously and eagerly to her own bed.

*** The next morning ***

Kiba awoke to a large, pink tongue lapping over his cheek, and a wet doggy nose pushing against his chin. He groaned and tried to roll away from the assault, but Akamaru was persistent.

The over-grown canine chuckled as he avoided being swatted in the face by a flailing arm. 'Come on, Kiba. Don't tell me you've forgotten the events of last night already?'

 _And 3, 2, 1…_

'The wolf!' Kiba bolted upright, eyes now wide and alert with something akin to excitement.

Akamaru snorted in amusement. Sometimes his master was just too predictable.

Dressing quickly, the Inu nin pulled on his black leather jacket and reached for the handle of the shoji door, but before he could make contact, it disappeared beneath his hand.

'Wha–'

'Get out here, Kiba. That wolf you brought in last night is on a rampage!' Tsume's deep voice growled out urgently, snapping him to attention.

' _Shit_.' He cursed, leaping out the room to follow her through the family compound. He could hear the commotion before he saw it, and his hand automatically reached for his hip where his ninja pack would normally be.

There was a team of 4 leaf chunin and 2 jounin who had managed to trap her in the veterinary clinic, and were now simply trying to barricade the door shut.

'We convinced them not to use physical violence yet, but she's not doing herself any favours fighting them like that. She's clearly scared and confused, and everyone knows wolves have major trust issues. Hana and I already tried to calm her down, but she's almost beyond reason now.'

'So what do you want me to do about it if even you can't get through to her?' Her son raised an eyebrow feigning indifference, but Tsume could sense his unease.

'You're the one who brought her in, pup, so technically she's your problem. Besides, she trusted you enough to bring her here in the first place, right?'

'Gee thanks…' Kiba grumbled, but headed toward the building anyway. The door now successfully locked tight, he heard her claws tapping unevenly across the clinic floor, and he could tell she was limping. There was also an underlying aroma of fresh blood wafting through the air, which made him scrunch his nose in distaste.

'Probably reopened that wound in her panic.' Hana sighed from beside him, making him jump slightly. 'Go in through the back, there's no way anyone's getting in _this_ door now.'

He nodded and followed her instructions, Akamaru hot on his heels.

'Maybe you should wait out here, boy.' He muttered to the dog before he entered, but Akamaru stood tall.

'I'm not letting you go in there alone when she's in that state!' He growled firmly, but Kiba wasn't about to change his mind on this one.

'I can handle myself, and I don't want you getting hurt if anything goes wrong. I swore I'd never let you get hurt because of me again…' He trailed off, but they both knew what he was referring to. It had been almost 7 years ago, fighting a couple of Orochimaru's freak show experiments. Akamaru had been close to death until Kankuro, of the Sand village, had arrived just in the nick of time and saved the day.

'At least let me wait in the back room.' The canine nuzzled his nose against his human's hand, tail wagging lightly when he got the 'okay, fine' from Kiba.

They entered as silently as possible, Akamaru halting in the destroyed recovery room as agreed, but this was a wolf they were dealing with. Where his sense of smell excelled, her exceptional hearing rivalled it in skill, so it came as no surprise to the Inu nin to see her cold red eyes already glaring daggers as they came face to face.

She seemed to withdraw slightly in recognition, though her ears remained pinned to the back of her head as he let out a breath.

'Easy, girl. It must have been a pretty big shock to wake up in a cage this morning, huh?' He commented, unsure of what else to say. 'Well, I'm sorry about that. That's just the way the system is here. We didn't want you running around on that leg when it's still so tender, so the cage was supposed to prevent too much strenuous movement… But apparently you defeated that objective.'

An emotion Kiba could only identify as shame flickered through her blood red eyes, and he couldn't hold back the short laugh that escaped him. 'So, you can understand me then?'

Now she seemed somewhat offended, and he held up his hands in apology. 'Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your intelligence, Princess!'

This time, she really did look angry. Her hackles rose again and just as the Inuzuka was expecting her to pounce, she was suddenly enveloped in a great cloud of thick grey smoke. He started in surprise, crouching into a defence position as Akamaru sprang through the doorway to his master's side.

They waited anxiously for the smoke to clear, but when it did, both their jaws simultaneously hit the floor.

'Princess? Who are you calling _Princess,_ you mongrel?!'

The creature that stood before them now glowered with such intensity in her crimson red irises that it snapped the Inu pair out of their frozen states of shock.

'What are – I mean h-how did… Erm…' Kiba stuttered unintelligibly, completely at a loss for what to say. He'd seen some pretty unusual stuff over the years of being a ninja, but _this_ was something new entirely.

She looked almost human, standing at 5 foot 2 with shoulder-length white-grey hair and moonlight-pale skin. But the two furry ears that now stood upright and alert atop her head, and the thick, silvery tail that remained swishing in agitation told otherwise. Kiba might have laughed had the situation been any different, her stood there with one hip cocked as she leaned on her left leg, while one of her hands cradled the other like a sling. She looked completely normal apart from the ears and tail, both of which were, distinctly, not human.

'What's the matter, _pup_? Never seen a wolf-human hybrid before?' She growled, still looking offended.

'Actually, no…' Kiba managed, still too confused to realise she'd called him 'pup'. He was just proud that he hadn't stuttered this time.

'Ask her where she came from!' Akamaru urged as he sniffed the air, recovering quicker than his master.

The Inu nin complied. 'Er, where are you from?'

'…Why should I tell you? Where am I now? Where have you brought me?' She demanded, eyes narrowing further with each question.

'Okay, look, you need to calm down. My ma's going crazy out there, not to mention the other Leaf nin who are probably still freaking out.'

'Leaf nin?' She questioned, interest piqued. 'Are we in Konaha?'

The Inu male would have tapped his forehead, had he remembered to wear his hitai-ate in his rush this morning. Instead, he simply nodded.

'I've… never been to Konaha before.' She admitted, as though embarrassed all of a sudden.

'Well that makes sense, because I don't think we've ever even seen a wolf in the Fire country before now.' He pursed his lips for a moment as though in thought, then said, 'We aren't a threat to you, you know.' Akamaru whined in agreement.

She had barely noticed that she had crouched back into a defensive stance – her body had acted on auto-pilot. Forcing herself to relax, though still looking stiff and awkward, she let her eyes drift from his to around the room she was currently in. The walls were covered in bloodied claw marks, probably her own blood, and there were overturned chairs and torn posters and fliers littering the floor.

'You brought me to a vets?' She asked, suspiciously calmly.

Again, Kiba blanched. 'Y-yes…'

She raised an eyebrow, but before she could react properly he began to babble nervously. 'Well, you looked like a wolf… I mean, you _were_ a wolf. So I figured a vet was more appropriate than a _hospital_ , and my sister's the best animal medic I know – oh! Not that I'm calling you an animal, I mean, you _are_ an animal, but not in that way…'

He broke off suddenly when she fell into a small fit of giggles at his flustered expression. She looked about to say something when a deep, commanding voice called to Kiba from outside.

'Kiba? What's going on in there?!'

The she-wolf flinched violently, all amusement dropping from her face in an instant as she shied away from the noise.

Instinct had Kiba's hands in the air in an 'I surrender' gesture to still her movements. 'It's okay, that's just my mom.' Then, in a louder voice he shouted back. 'Give me a minute, Ma!'

His eyes trailed back to meet the uneasy red gaze of the hybrid girl before him. She'd moved a few steps closer to him in an attempt to avoid the front door, and he could see her muscles tensed and ready for anything.

The dog trainer pursed his lips as he tried to think of a way to talk her round. 'Look, we can't stand around in here all day, and from the looks of it you need to get that leg, er… arm, bandaged up again. So what do you say you let us help you out? We're not your enemy.'

She searched his face for any trace of deceit. The canine beside him was now sitting down, probably trying to appear smaller so as not to scare her. They didn't _seem_ to pose her any threat right now, and she supposed she really didn't have any other choice but to go along with it, for now. She still wasn't about to drop her guard around them anytime soon though.

'Alright. But no tricks…' She warned, eyes flashing.

'You have my word, erm?'

'…Luna. I'm of the Hangetsu clan from the Land of the Moon.' She replied slowly, unsure of how much she wanted him to know.

He smiled obliviously. Apparently that much information was fine. 'Kiba Inuzuka. Of the Leaf Village.' Normally, he'd have offered her his hand to shake, but in this case it hardly seemed appropriate. 'And this is Akamaru.'

The large dog woofed in greeting, and she nodded politely.

He moved towards the front door, Akamaru at his heels, knocking three times on the metal frame before stepping back slightly. He vaguely registered Luna moving to stand behind him, subconsciously feeling safer right now around him than these other strangers.

The door burst open and she flinched again, a short growl escaping her lips. He was half expecting the 6 Leaf ninja to come storming in, armed and ready, but was thankful to find his sister enter the room first, followed by his mother.

'Take it easy guys,' Kiba cautioned, sensing the tension rolling off the girl in waves. He could practically smell her mistrust. 'Her name's Luna, from the Land of the Moon.'

'Land of the Moon, huh? You really have travelled quite a distance, haven't you?' Tsume raised an eyebrow, choosing not to comment on the fact that the wolf was no longer an actual wolf. She frowned as her deep voice came across more threatening than she intended.

Luna's ears flattened, but she made no further motion.

Hana took this opportunity to admire the damage done to her surgery. 'I'm not sure what's in a worse condition, my clinic or your arm!' She laughed humourlessly, also avoiding the change-in-form topic.

'I'm er, sorry about the damage. I don't have any money, so I guess I can work on repairing it as payment for fixing my paw?' The girl offered, suddenly looking very small. They all noted how she referred to her injured body part as her paw.

'Hm. Come this way, I'll have that bandaged again in no time.' Hana nodded, leading her into an adjacent room, not missing how the girl threw one more cautious glance at Kiba, as though asking for reassurance. His mouth twitched into a half-smile, and with that, she disappeared in the direction his sister had gone.

'So, what's the story, Kiba?' Tsume stepped forward, eyes meeting her sons.

'From what I can tell, she can transform at will to either a wolf or her current form. She's alone, and incredibly guarded. It won't be easy gaining her trust… She said she's from the Hangetsu clan, but I've never heard of it.'

'Hangetsu?' His mother rubbed her chin thoughtfully, as though trying to draw from a distant memory. 'I'll look into that, and I will have to speak to the Hokage immediately about our new guest. See to it that she settles in for the time-being, pup – she can stay in the spare room at the main house. I'd like to keep her close by until we deem her trustworthy.'

'Yes, Ma.' Kiba nodded obediently, too distracted by recent events to make an attempt at asserting his own dominance.

'Right then, I suppose I'll go see to those flimsy excuses for ninja out there.' She turned on her heel and marched outside, barking orders at the Leaf nin who were hovering uncertainly outside.

Kiba chuckled at their panicked responses. His mother could be really scary when she wanted to be. Patting Akamaru briefly on the head, he wandered into the consultation room where Hana and Luna were chatting, blinking in surprise at the she-wolf's relaxed composure.

'Oh Kiba, while you're here you might as well make yourself useful. Pass me those bandage scissors, would ya?'

Mentally shaking himself, he retrieved the scissors from the worktop beside him, rolling his eyes as he passed them to his sister and Luna tensed suspiciously. 'Oh come on, what am I gonna do with _bandage scissors_? I have a whole pack of kunai back at the house if I wanted to hurt you–'

'Kiba! Not helpful.' Hana shushed him, but a small smile of amusement was playing on her features. Luna forced herself to relax again, prodding her injured paw experimentally when Hana freed the wound from the torn bandages.

'You're going to have to keep your weight off it for a few weeks. The ligament is really mangled here… Just how old is the injury?'

Luna avoided their questioning gazes as she replied. 'I'm not sure…'

'Not sure? You mean you don't remember how long you've been travelling for?' The brown haired woman lifted the limb and began to wind a fresh medical wrap around it.

'No, I mean I don't remember when I got it… Or how it happened actually.'

'How can you not remember something like that?!' Kiba exclaimed, a little too loudly and making her jump.

'I don't know, alright? It's all fuzzy. It happens sometimes, when I'm in wolf form. My family used to call it blacking out, but it was quite uncommon in adults. But it's worse this time, there's a huge chunk that I can't remember…' Her eyebrows pulled together as she spoke, and the Inuzuka siblings could sense her rising stress levels at the mention of her family. _Where were they?_

'Well, that's your paw done. Like I said, if you want it to heal then you'll have to keep your weight off it.' Hana instructed, changing the subject. 'And that means no manual labour. Guess you'll have to find some other way to pay me back.'

Luna smiled her thanks. 'I will.'

'Well I have work to do. My brother will show you around, right, Kiba?'

'Sure. This way, Princess.' He grinned at her scowl, exiting to consultation room to were Akamaru was sat patiently in the waiting room. 'There's a spare room in the main house that you can stay in, I'll show you that first.'

He led the way through the compound, ignoring the stares they were receiving along the way, picking up the pace. Luna seemed to shrink under their gazes, clearly uncomfortable with all the attention that she was obviously not used to.

The main house was, unsurprisingly, the largest building of the estate. They walked through several sliding shoji doors and along various corridors and stairwells before they actually reached the spare room.

'This is your room. If you need anything, Hana's room is just down there, second door on the right and mine's the first on the left. We passed the kitchen on the way, you saw that right?' She nodded and he continued. 'There's a ensuite in every bedroom, which should already have towels and stuff in there. Think you can find your way back from here?'

'I guess so…' She murmured, still processing the overload of information.

'I know it's a lot to take in, but there's always someone around to ask. Don't worry, we don't bite.' He smirked at his joke and turned around to leave. 'I'll let you settle in for an hour or so. See you later!'

'O-okay.' Luna replied, but he was already gone. Letting out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding, she slid the door open and entered her room. It was pretty basic, with cream coloured walls and tatami covered floorboards, but it was nice. She spotted another door, which she assumed was the ensuite bathroom, but what really caught her attention was the large open window on the back wall.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she suddenly realised her sleeping habits were clearly opposite to the ninja of the leaf village. That could be a problem. Her family had always been nocturnal, so it felt completely unnatural for her to be roaming about like this in the daytime. _Time to start adjusting_ , she supposed.

She had no belongings to unpack, so she wandered into the bathroom to freshen up quickly. Luna was eager to get a better look around the Leaf Village and the Inuzuka compound, but as she stared at her reflection in the mirror before her, she knew she'd have to do something about her ears and tail if she wanted to blend in. _A simple henge jutsu should do it._

Though she was far from competent in the world of ninjutsu, her family had been nothing if they weren't ruthless in their training methods. She smiled slightly at her now completely human-looking disguise, flipping her silver hair over her shoulder and heading for the open window. It wasn't that she was sneaking out on purpose, she just wasn't confident she'd remember the way they'd come in.

Luckily, the building only 2 stories high, so she landed deftly on her sandaled feet and glanced around. There was no one around to notice her sudden appearance in the courtyard area she'd landed in, which allowed her to take a moment to decide on her next move.

Her stomach rumbled suddenly and decided for her. She _was_ kind of hungry. While her nose was nowhere near as adept as an Inuzuka's, it wasn't hard for her to sniff out a nearby stall selling a variation of roasted birds.

She was about to ask the vendor for the price, when her empty pockets reminded her that she couldn't afford anything anyway. Growling inwardly, she turned and trudged away grumpily.

She had just rounded a corner onto what seemed like the main street of the estate when someone appeared beside her.

'Here.'

Her eyes snapped to the bag of what looked like chicken wings that were held out in front of her, an amused looking Kiba standing behind it. The scent was glorious and made her mouth water and stomach flip excitedly, but still, she hesitated.

'It's not poisoned or anything!' He teased, taking her pause for caution.

She rolled her eyes and snatched the bag from him, practically inhaling its contents before glancing up at him gratefully. 'Thank you.'

'You know, you could have just said if you were hungry…' He laughed as she finished lapping up the rest of the grease from her fingers. 'So I take it you're not one for sitting still for long?'

She winced slightly, feeling guilty for 'sneaking out'. 'Sorry. I was gonna come back after I'd looked around a bit.'

'I didn't doubt you would.' Kiba sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. 'Well, while you're here I may as well finish the tour.'

Luna nodded again, her curious nature taking over as she relaxed more herself in response to his casual demeanour. It baffled her how comfortable he seemed around her, but then again, _she_ was the one in unfamiliar territory, not him.

'Oh yeah…' He started, as though remembering something suddenly. 'Don't think that I missed that 'pup' comment earlier, Princess!' He scowled, but his eyes remained playful.

She smirked in response. 'I'd be disappointed if you had, Inuzuka.'

* * *

 **A/N:** So I know the opening may seem a bit rushed, but I'm eager to start setting hints at the main plot, and really, there's nothing much to tell before the meeting in the woods.

I'm going to be making a lot of what the Inuzuka compound looks like up, because there's not much to reference from in the anime! I have done a lot of research on the clan etc. though, so hopefully I can pull it off.

Timeline wise, it's set after the Fourth Great Ninja War, where the characters are 20/21, with Luna at 19.

Since this is a new fic and the characters are different to what I'm used to writing, I'd really appreciate some feedback :) Hope you liked it.


	2. The Fang and the Moon

**A/N:** Wow, the first chapter had more readers than I expected. Thank you so much for reading!

I've been working on character design for Luna, which will be on my DeviantArt (VampireBasket) and the cover picture for this story, so you can see how she looks.

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer. I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

 **The Fang and the Moon**

Walking around the village like this, so casually and calmly, Kiba could have sworn the she-wolf-hybrid was actually enjoying herself. Her scarlet eyes were bright and alert, flicking around in all directions as she took in her new surroundings eagerly. They were a pale hue, he noticed, not as harsh as an Uchiha's Sharingan or as attention-grabbing as his Sensei, Kurenai's, but soft and almost shallow… in a nice way.

He hadn't seen it earlier, but just below her hairline in the corner of her forehead, was a small crescent moon tattoo. Or was it a birth mark? From the strange, silver shimmer the shape had when the light touched it, he doubted it was either. Maybe he'd question her on it later. Other than that she really was very ordinarily human-looking. Her silvery locks framed her face quite simply, with one odd strand twisting slightly longer than the rest and reaching just below her collarbone. It was as though her hair-dresser had been called away from his job at the last minute, leaving one long and uneven piece, and he had to bite back a smile at the realisation.

As for her build, she wasn't thin, but she wasn't quite chubby. Her chest was decidedly flat, and while her sides and rear did curve rather smoothly, it was clear that her legs were her best asset. She was quite short too, round 5''2 if he had to guess. Kiba himself stood straight at 5''8, easily standing at least a head over her, although that didn't seem to put her off from back-talking him whenever she could. Like now.

'Can I help you?' She huffed, slapping her hands to the hips he had just been slyly assessing. Apparently not that slyly.

'What?' He asked plainly, playing dumb.

'It's just a henge jutsu, alright? You don't need to be so obvious about it!' She muttered, somewhat sensitively.

He blinked slowly. Kiba hadn't even noticed that she'd hidden her ears and tail until she pointed it out. Reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck, he tilted his head and grinned. 'A-ah, right. Yeah well, I've just never seen anything like you before.'

She raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. 'I'm not an alien, you know.'

'You don't have to be so on-the-offensive, Princess. I'm just curious, is all.'

'Well if you're curious, just ask. I got enough staring from your pack, earlier.' Kiba had to grin at her familiar language. It wasn't often he could converse with his friends and comrades in terms such as 'pack'.

'First of all, they're not technically _my_ pack yet. But they will be one day. Second, you'd be staring too if the roles were reversed – they weren't being rude. You're different… Exotic!' She rolled her eyes at his attempt to butter her up – flattery would not work so easily on her. 'And third, I didn't ask, because I didn't think you'd answer.'

'Only one way to find out, pup.' She muttered, still a little sulkily.

He sighed in exasperation. 'And you've _got_ to stop calling me that, Princess.'

'Likewise!' She snapped, stopping altogether and turning her shoulders to meet his. Whether it was intentional or not, the gesture was predominantly challenging to the Inuzuka heir, and it took a lot of effort not to square off his own frame and stare her down.

His eyes scanned the street they were in, searching for a quick distraction and finding the ideal place. 'You still hungry?'

She faltered briefly at the subject change, but managed to compose herself quickly enough to nod suspiciously.

'Come on, then.'

He chuckled at her blank expression as he left her no choice but to follow him blindly, which, he was mildly surprised she did.

He pushed up the banners that hung over the entrance to the Ichiraku Ramen stall, letting out a small breath of relief that a certain hot-headed blonde wasn't already occupying one of the seats.

The Ramen owner threw him a smile in recognition, eyes glinting at his female companion. Kiba was thankful he chose not to give them some lame suggestive joke about their 'relationship'.

'No Akamaru today, Kiba?'

'No, sir. He's been roped in as an unwilling volunteer at the clinic, for Hana's anatomy talk she's giving for the veterinary students.' He chuckled at the memory of his white canine's pleading eyes as his sister had dragged him away that morning, just after he'd shown Luna to her room. 'Oh, this is Luna. She's new to the village.'

'Pleased to meet you, ma'am.' The older male offered her a smile, which she returned politely. 'So, what'll it be?'

Luna opened her mouth to ask for a menu, but the Inu nin cut in and answered instead.

'Two bowls of Miso Ramen, both with extra Barbecue pork, thanks!'

The man nodded and busied himself with the order immediately.

Kiba turned his attention back to the hybrid girl, slightly surprised to find her glaring at him. 'What's wrong now?'

'You… j-just ordered for me!' She spluttered angrily.

'I was being nice! Trust me, Princess, this place does the best ramen in the village. You'll like it I promise.' Honestly, he could have pulled out her chair and placed a handkerchief on her seat, and he'd still get the same reaction. _There's just no pleasing some people!_

Luna harrumphed, but Kiba spoke up again before she could find something else to chew his ear off for. 'So what's with the moon symbol?' He prodded his own forehead where the mark would have been.

The anger fell from her face and was instantly replaced by mistrust. She cast a small glance to the stall owner, who had started humming cheerily, oblivious to their conversation.

Sighing, she finally answered, surprising herself with her honesty. 'I wasn't born with it, but it is something that all of our clan has branded on them, usually on the day they're born. It's a symbol of our ancestors.'

'But what's it for?' He pressed, genuinely interested.

'What makes you think it's _for_ something? What are _yours_ for?' She frowned, poking him in the cheek where one of the dark red triangles sat.

'Mine are just tattoos. All of the main household of my clan has them.' He swatted her hand away as he replied, rubbing the spot she'd poked as though it burned him.

'Really? So you didn't always have them?' She couldn't really picture the Inu nin without the upside-down triangular markings.

'Nope. It's kind of like a christening ritual, when you turn one. They're just a symbol that I'm in the main branch.'

'Oh….' Then she winced. 'Ouch, you got tattooed when you were one? Didn't that seriously hurt?'

He chuckled at her discomfort, crossing his arms and leaning forward to lean on the ramen bar. 'I was too young to remember… Besides, didn't you say you get branded on the day you're born?'

'Yeah, but it doesn't hurt. Our mother does it with her chakra.'

'Alright, so what're they for?'

'...Fine. In a way mine's a family symbol too, but everyone in my clan has one. Their main purpose is a way of communication. It's hard to explain but they're all connected with each other, like an internal chakra network.'

'Huh. So you can contact each other? Like the Yamanaka clan?'

'Who?' Her eyebrows pulled together in confusion, so he changed his question.

'Nevermind. So you could contact them now, if you wanted?'

Her eyes fell at this, and she let out a regretful breath. 'Unfortunately not. Only my father can initiate the connection. I thought they'd have tried to reach me by now…' Her voice fell so low for the latter statement that he only just caught it, but something else now made him curious.

'Why only your father?'

'Because only the clan alpha can do it. I guess it's a wolf hierarchy thing.' She gave a small, humourless laugh, lifting her eyes to meet his.

'Wait, your father's the clan leader?' He stared, incredulous.

'Yes… What about it?' Luna's eyebrows tugged downwards, unsure of why this was so interesting. Maybe he felt threatened, being the next in line as the Inuzuka alpha?

Kiba's strange expression suddenly broke into a ridiculous grin, accompanied by the sound of mocking laughter. 'Oh man, then that means, you really _are_ a Princess!'

Her fists clenched beneath the table, and just as she was considering wringing his stupid neck, the Ramen chef interrupted.

'Here we go! Two bowls of Miso Ramen with extra Barbecue Pork! Enjoy!' He smiled happily, looking very proud of himself and remaining completely ignorant to the hybrid girl's fury.

A single sniff of the freshly-cooked meal had her anger fizzling away in a heartbeat, and the pair lapsed into a mildly comfortable silence as they emptied their bowls greedily.

*** Later ***

The journey back to the compound took at least twice the time it should have, since Kiba had instructed Luna to lead the way back, insisting that she needed to learn the layout of the village if she was going to stay here for a while. However, to his amusement, her sense of direction was appalling, and she'd gotten them hopelessly lost at least three times.

Needless to say, they argued for practically the entire journey too.

'See, wasn't that hard now, was it?' Kiba taunted when they finally reached his family estate.

'Oh, shut up. It's easy for you with your sense of smell!'

'What, and wolves can't smell like dogs can?' He smirked again, but she shook her head angrily.

'Of course they can, idiot. But I'm not a wolf, am I?' He was about to remind her that actually, _technically_ , she kind of was, but she predicted his comment and cut him off. 'My hearing is heightened when I'm in my wolf form, and I can see in the dark in both forms, but right now other than that, I may as well just be a regular, boring old human. Even without the henge, my senses are only enhanced when I transform.'

'Huh. Well, I guess I'll let you off then, Prin–oof!' Something large, white and furry suddenly hurtled into his side, making Luna chuckle smugly at the annoying nickname being stopped in its tracks.

'Akamaru! Down, boy!' The over-sized mutt ignored his master in favour of playfully licking his face, pinning him down. 'Alright, alright! I'm sorry I left you with Hana! Next time I promise I'll come save you sooner.'

Seeming satisfied with his apology, Akamaru backed up and Kiba scrabbled to his feet, dusting himself off. The dog turned his giant head to the she-wolf, who grinned and rubbed his fur in greeting.

'Hey, Akamaru. You have great timing.' She praised, and the canine woofed happily.

'Kiba! Luna!'

All three heads turned towards the current Inuzuka alpha, who was striding towards them purposefully. She had a serious glint in her eyes that Luna wondered if ever wasn't present. This human just screamed authority.

'I visited the Hokage this morning. She has accepted your admittance to the village, and allowed you to remain in our care. Also, we have sent word to the Land of the Moon, for news on your family, Luna.'

'You have?' She blinked in surprise. That was actually quite nice of them. 'T-thank you.'

Tsume's mouth curled into a brief smile, before she turned to her son in distaste. 'And you! Have I taught you nothing, you mindless pup?'

Luna stifled a laugh at the nickname, only now understanding why Kiba hated it so much.

'What have I done now?' Kiba grumbled, a look of defiance crossing his features as though preparing for a fight.

'You left the compound gates open again, that's what! Hana spent a good hour trying to track down three of the puppies that had managed to wander off. You made her late for her student lecture!' Although the anger was clearly not directed at her, Luna would have felt her ears pulling back against her head had the henge not still been in place. She almost felt sorry for the Inu heir, since this is the woman he'd have to challenge one day to claim his place as leader.

'Well, I had a lot on my mind this morning… And besides, how do you know it was me who did it?'

Tsume still managed to growl while she sighed roughly, not even bothering to point out that he'd just admitted it anyway. 'You need to get your responsibilities in order, pup. I hope you've at least been showing Luna around today and not just slacking off!'

Tsume was already marching back in the direction of the main building before Kiba could get in one more retort.

'Wow, she'd make my dad look soft.' The hybrid girl chuckled at Kiba's red face as he took several deep breaths to calm down. Her father, Lucifer, had the biggest wolf form their clan had ever known. Even in his human state, with his deep, commanding brown eyes and charcoal hair, he towered over all the other members of the pack with ease. He could be truly terrifying when he wanted to be, strict and ruthless in his training methods, but he was a fair leader when push came to shove.

'Damn. She gets right on my last nerve sometimes.' Kiba grunted after a minute. 'Come on, Akamaru. I need to let off some steam.'

His companion whined in an unknown doggy language that Luna could not understand, but she suddenly realised that she had no idea what to do with herself next.

Just as she was about to head off in search of Hana, the only other Inuzuka she felt vaguely comfortable around, Kiba called to her over his shoulder.

'You coming, or what?'

'O-oh… Right!' She stuttered, caught off guard by the unexpected invitation.

Luna honestly never would have guessed the Inuzuka estate was as large as this. Sure, she'd heard of the dog training ninja clan that resided in Konaha, one of her family's 'rival clans', as her father had put it. But the size of their territory stretched out almost as much as her own did back in the Land of the Moon, and this was just a section of one village!

The she-wolf tried to take notes of the trail he was leading her on, but they were moving too quickly for her to really note any detail. She did, however, spot a small section she particularly liked the look of. It consisted of a solitary hill that was slightly set back from the rest of the compound, which had the potential to have a nice view behind it. Making a mental note to revisit that, she hurried after Kiba.

They finally came to a halt in a large open field, which housed three wooden stumps lined up along the far end. She was pretty sure they were no longer on Inuzuka land, but Kiba seemed completely at home as he strode into the centre.

'Do you fight?'

'…What?' She blanked, confused by the weird question.

'I mean, do you have ninja training?'

 _Do I fight? Oh, spar!_ 'You mean, you want to scrap with me?'

He chuckled once again at her choice of wording. 'Yeah, Akamaru and I could use the practice against someone we don't know the abilities of.'

'So basically, you want to guinea-pig me?' She scowled, but moved to stand opposite him anyway. She may not have been trained as adeptly as him in ninjutsu, but after all those relentless years of scrapping with her brothers and sisters, she'd be dammed if she was backing out on this.

Scrapping was an age-old custom to her family. She had two brothers and two sisters, half older and half younger. Okamiko, her older sister, was by far the strongest. She always won during their spars, but Luna had come close a few times. It was never malicious, but it was frequent. Her father had said it was tradition for the head family's pups to scrap as often as possible, because it helped to not only strengthen themselves physically, but also allowed them to learn each other's movements and made it more effective for them to work as a pack. They were the next generation, after all.

She was just getting herself riled up when a twang in her arm brought a painful reminder that she wasn't really in any condition to be scrapping right now.

Kiba saw her wince and was beside her in an instant. 'Ah shit, I forgot about your arm. Sorry, Princess, guess you'll have to sit this one out.'

'I'm fine! I'll just take it easy!' She protested, disappointment flooding through her.

'Yeah, 'cause I need one more reason for Ma to snap at me.' He muttered. 'No way, you're on the side-lines, I'm afraid.'

'But how are you going to train on your own?'

'I'm not on my own, I have Akamaru… Oh wait a moment!' His nose lifted into the air suddenly, sniffing twice before a grin split his face. 'I know exactly who I can train with.'

Luna wasn't sure if she liked the animated, feral look in his onyx eyes right now, but before she could question him, a new voice entered the field.

'Kiba. Akamaru. Who's your friend?'

Red eyes widened as she spun to assess the newcomer. He was almost completely covered by a long, khaki green coat, a charcoal under shirt that was fastened up to his nose, and a dark pair of glasses that hid his eyes well. She could just barely see brown spiked hair poking out from under his hood, but other than that, he was a mystery.

'Shino! This is Luna Hangestu. She's staying with my family for a while. Fancy a spar?' He grinned a toothy grin, ignoring the way Luna had tensed at the seemingly easy introduction.

'Nice to meet you. I am Shino Aburame.' His voice was startlingly calm, she noticed. 'The Hangetsu clan is quite the legend, so I've heard.'

'Wait, you know of them?' Kiba barked before she could respond, his voice as loud and obnoxious as ever.

'Yes, I am aware of their customs. Why, you ask? Because I have studied other animal taming clans, from a book, in the library. Unlike you, Kiba.'

Normally, Luna would have growled and snapped at the stranger for referring to her family as 'animal tamers', but something about him had her more on edge than usual. _He said 'other', does that mean his family has animal companions too?_ She'd never heard of the Aburame clan before.

'Whatever, Shino.' The Inu nin waved him off, moving to crouch in an attack position. 'You wanna go or not?'

'Very well.'

Akamaru yipped excitedly, crouching beside his master obediently. Shino strolled painfully slowly across the field to stand opposite Kiba, his hands never leaving his pockets. _Who is this guy?_ Luna wondered, eyebrows furrowing as she settled herself, somewhat uncomfortably, in the long grass that grew beneath the trees lining the field.

The Inuzuka was the first to move, but she'd expected no less. He definitely struck her as the type to strike first, think later.

With Akamaru matching his pace, she watched in amusement as Kiba ran on all fours in a circle around his opponent, much like his canine partner. The motion kicked up a dust trail that spun around the Aburame in a loop, but he still wasn't moving. It was almost cool. _Almost_.

'So, you're staying with the Inuzukas, hm?' Shino's voice suddenly sounded from beside her, and Luna must have jumped at least three foot in the air in surprise.

'W-what…' Her head whipped back to the field, where an exact clone of Shino was still standing. This guy was definitely weird. And borderline creepy. 'Erm, yeah I am.'

'Hangetsu isn't a very well-known name in Fire Country. I wonder, just how it is you managed to find yourself all the way out here.' Wait, was _he_ suspicious of _her_?

'I… Er…'

'Dammit, Shino! Get out here and fight like a man!' A quick glance to the dog nin told them that Kiba had apparently figured out that the Shino over there was a fake, and his irritated tone had the mysterious ninja beside her sighing quietly. Everything he did was quiet, apparently.

'Excuse me, Luna.'

She followed the Aburame with her eyes as he crossed the field. Kiba, who was pacing impatiently and looking very unimpressed, slammed his palms together in a hand sign she didn't recognise.

'Man Beast Clone!' There was a puff of smoke that enveloped both him and Akamaru, which, when it cleared, revealed two feral looking Kibas crouched on all fours in their place.

This time, Shino lifted his arms out in front of him, mumbling something she couldn't quite make out. Her scarlet irises widened as, from beneath the long sleeves of his jacket, a thick, black swarm of unidentified insects flew towards the Inuzuka.

Kiba seemed unfazed, making another quick hand sign and shouting out 'Fang Over Fang!'

They leap skywards, twisting together like a pair of tornados and zig-zagging around the streams of insects. He landed on the opposite side of Shino, annoyed at having missed his main target. Shino continued the flow of bugs, directing them expertly around the field and keeping Kiba's attacks at bay.

Luna vaguely wondered what they'd do if they actually seriously injured one another. Neither ninja seemed to be holding back. She had only pondered the notion for a second, before the dog nin combined and transformed with Akamaru again, this time into a house-sized, two-headed dog.

'Inuzuka Style: Double-headed wolf, Fang Over Fang!' He snarled, the great beast darting and twisting into another furious tornado that barrelled straight through the insect swam. She barely even had time to be offended by the jutsu title when it made contact with the opposing ninja, causing her to gasp.

The Aburame male was sent hurtling to the other side of the grassland, only just managing to land on his feet, clutching his shoulder.

'Wanna call it?' The Inu nin shouted, now back in his normal human form with Akamaru by his side.

Shino only nodded once, and the trio headed towards where she was sitting, a frown playing on her features.

'Are you _trying_ to offend me, Inuzuka?' She demanded as they came into earshot.

He chuckled at her expression, flopping down onto the grass beside her. 'You're just never going to quit complaining, are you?'

She scoffed. 'That creature didn't even begin to resemble a wolf.'

The insect wielder now joined them on the ground, and she shifted uncomfortably upon feeling his gaze upon her, despite not being able to see it.

'I can understand your discomfort, since you yourself are a wolf. And the wolf is nothing if it's not proud.' He stated bluntly. Kiba blanched, unsure of how the hybrid would react to this level of openness, but she surprised them both.

' _Thank you_. At least _someone_ can understand my point of view here.'

'Wha–Oh, come on! You're only agreeing with him because it gives you an excuse to gang up on me!' The Inu heir groaned, protesting further when Akamaru laughed along with Luna.

'Well, I should be heading home now,' Shino stood when the laughing died down and made to leave the field. 'See you around Kiba, Akamaru, Luna.'

They all threw him their own 'goodbye' and watched him disappear. The she-wolf had to thank the stars that they hadn't got around to finishing their conversation. She didn't think the Aburame seemed like the type to blab, but she didn't want to risk the whole village learning of her presence just yet. Maybe she could pry some more information on the strange ninja out of Kiba.

'So… Shino seems like an interesting guy…' She started, unsure of how to word that statement without insulting his comrade.

'Yeah, but you get used to him. It took me and Hinata almost four years to understand him, and even now I don't think you can ever really get inside his head.' He laughed, but the fondness for his friend was evident in his tone.

'Hinata?' Luna questioned, shooting him a sideways glance.

'Hyuga. With the Byakugan? Well, she's our fourth teammate. Then there's Kurenai-Sensei. We're really only supposed to operate in four man teams, but with Akamaru here they made an exception.' The Inu leaned back against the white canine, crossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. The evening was drawing in, but the sun was still warm on their skin as it began to sink in the sky. 'We were just twelve when we first started out. Seems like a lifetime ago…'

Luna couldn't hold back the small smile that slipped onto her face as he reminisced. He told her about their very first mission together, and how Hinata had been absolutely terrified both of Shino's bugs _and_ Akamaru at the start. He spoke of the Chunin exams, and fell into a small rant about his round against Naruto Uzumaki, and the she-wolf was surprised to find herself relaxing in his company. It was a strange feeling, sitting here in the middle of nowhere, while she listened to him babble about anything and everything. It was almost like she had known him for years. Like they were friends.

By the time the night had arrived, Luna's lupine instincts had begun to kick in. She released her henge as the trio re-entered the main building in the Inuzuka compound, exposing her ears and tail that now flickered and twitched attentively. Despite already being awake for the entire day, she'd never felt more alert. Perhaps it had something to do with the full moon tonight, or maybe it was the excitement of all the new sights, sounds and smells.

'Try not to break out this time, or we might actually start to think you're up to something!' Kiba joked when they reached her doorway, before disappearing down the corridor to his own room.

She rolled her eyes after he'd gone, not caring that he'd missed the reaction. _Don't lock me in a cage this time and I won't,_ she thought.

Closing the shoji door behind her, she crossed the room and slid her window completely open, breathing in the cool air. Her room was situated at the rear of the building, so really all her view consisted of was the back end of the Inuzuka estate courtyard, and the leaf village walls. With her incredible nocturnal night vision, the full moon shone in the vast sky so vividly it almost made her eyes hurt, but she loved it. It was a truly beautiful sight to behold, wherever you viewed it from.

But the moonlight also brought about a sadness and a longing that she'd been too distracted to focus on until now. She missed her family. Where were they? Why hadn't they tried to contact her yet? _And why can't I remember a damn thing about how we were separated?!_

Luna let out a long, irritated sigh. She thought back to the last moment her mind could come up with. Her and her sister, Okamiko, prowling the perimeter on the Western side of their territory. They'd heard the pack begin a twilight howl, and had lifted their muzzles to the sky to join in. After that, nothing. Every time she tried to remember, she came up blank, and it frustrated her to no end.

There was a human village about four miles West of their forest, but they rarely had any trouble or even any contact with them. The Land of the Moon was a crescent shaped Island, surrounded by wide empty oceans on every edge, so trouble from outsiders was almost unheard of too.

She shook her head to clear those thoughts before she got side-tracked. All she knew for sure was that she'd 'blacked-out' at the start of the Twilight howl, and regained her present mental state at a port city in the Land of Fire. That was at least two boat journeys away, which meant she'd been travelling for almost two weeks and had absolutely no recollection of it.

Yes, it was uncommon for wolves in their adult lives to blackout during transformation periods, but not impossible. What she couldn't get her head around was that the blackout had last _so long_! Even as a whelp she hadn't lost that much time to her wolf body, in all her younger years put together!

She tried to concentrate harder on the memories, but there was a dull ache beginning to form in her bandaged arm that was proving difficult to ignore. Finally, Luna resigned herself to sleep. She forced her body to relax and vaguely considered the possibility that she may start experiencing jet-lag-like symptoms, with the unnatural change in her sleeping patterns.

But that was tomorrow's problem. Right now, her arm hurt too much for her to care, so she let the worries slip away as sleep eventually began to consume her.

* * *

 **A/N:** So I hope you all like where this is going so far, and let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas you want to see included in this fic! Feedback is always welcome, good and bad.

Also, the bit about the Inuzuka markings, I did some research and there's a fan theory that Kakashi is somehow vaguely related to the Inuzuka clan, since he has dog summons, covers his cheeks, and his father was nicknamed 'The White Fang'. I doubt it's true, but I love the idea!

See you next time!


	3. The Canine and the Lupine

**A/N:** Something big happens in this chapter, so I'm hoping people can really get into the story from here, if you haven't already. I also want to thank everyone who's reading, I hope I don't disappoint you!

Also, does anyone even read author's notes anymore? I know I do, but just out of curiosity…

Still a disclaimer, I do not own Naruto or its characters, only my OCs and plot.

* * *

 **The Canine and the Lupine**

The next few days were long and drawn-out. Luna spent most of her time in the veterinary clinic with Hana, after she had offered to help out in return for healing her paw. Hana had accepted eagerly, happy to have the extra help and company, but also keen to keep an eye on how the she-wolf's injury was coming along. Luna suspected that the older female was also just a tiny bit curious about her strange chakra system, but was either too polite or too cautious to ask. It really wasn't a big deal, it was actually just a mutation of human and wolf cells that had mingled into one through years of cross genetics. To be honest, her clan's history went back so far that even Luna herself wasn't exactly sure how their hybrid forms came about.

Kiba and Akamaru visited them whenever they could, which was really only when Tsume relented her unyielding routine she had planned out every day for the Inu heir. Kiba matched his mother's persistence in complaining, but when Luna had once joked about his stubbornness to do as asked, he had launched into a louder tirade of moaning. She didn't bother to interrupt after that, figuring it was better for everyone's sake to let him rant it out on his own.

The days weren't the only things that dragged though, for getting into the habit of sleeping at _night_ turned out to be a lot more difficult than she'd originally thought. The first night she'd slept relatively well, but wolves could go for days without sleeping if they needed to, so the full night's rest had only served to regenerate her energy to the maximum. The hybrid girl had merely dozed for a few hours each night since then, and tonight she doubted would be any different.

She hovered in the doorway of the surgery as Hana finished checking on patients and locking the doors to the medical rooms. The Inuzuka woman always tried to usher her home sooner, but Luna didn't mind staying up late, so would simply smile and decline. If anything, working harder for longer hours might start to help her sleep better.

'Well, that's us for the day. I told you though, you really don't have to wait up for me all the time. As much as I appreciate the company, I don't want you losing sleep over repaying a debt. Besides, it's my job, so you don't actually have to pay me back for healing you at all.'

'Well, I'd like to thank you in any way I can. My body's on a different clock to yours anyway, so this is really nothing for me.' She smiled softly, the crescent moon catching her eye as she walked beside Hana towards their house. Its surface seemed to glow against the dark sky, drawing her in like a magnetic pull.

They drew closer to the main building, but the moon was just too powerful tonight for Luna to turn away from. 'Actually Hana, I'm going to stay out for a little longer. It's such a nice night, it'd be a shame to miss it entirely!'

Hana only chuckled. 'If you insist.'

The hybrid girl grinned and threw a small wave over her shoulder as she broke into a jog, heading for the shallow hill she had seen on various walks through the estate. She found it quicker than she expected, and settled down on its peak to gaze over the view of Leaf village beyond it.

Here, sitting on the hilltop overlooking the city below, and basking in the moonlight like this, she'd never felt calmer. She breathed in deeply, closing her eyes and allowing the refreshing cool air to fill her lungs, unaware of the onyx pair of eyes that were now watching her from behind.

Had she been in her wolf form, she'd have heard him approach right away, no problem. But things were different in her hybrid body. Though she still had her furry ears visible, the connection to her inner ear worked differently, bringing her hearing down a few decibels to just above normal human level, unless she really focused on listening.

Kiba's eyes grazed over her relaxed form in the dimly lit night. He'd never seen such a carefree side to her as this, and it was nothing like her usual 'relaxed' state. He was so used to her looking as though she were about to enter fight or flight mode, that he almost didn't believe it was really Luna sat before him. The moonlight playing tricks on him, perhaps?

And yet here she was. It was rare for a ninja to ever really drop their guard entirely, but considering she didn't seem aware of his presence yet, he'd say she actually had. It was a strangely comforting sight.

He debated momentarily on whether to disturb her peaceful solitude and join her, or sneak away silently. The air was cool on his sweat-dried skin after a long training session with his team, and he knew Akamaru would be catching him up any minute now. He finally decided on leaving her be, since this was the first time Kiba could recall seeing her look truly at peace in this village. He didn't want to ruin that. The dog trainer was just about to turn away, when the breeze suddenly picked up. Her silvery hair billowed gently in his direction, but that wasn't the only thing the wind blew his way. Her scent wafted downwind to where he was hovering, halting him mid-step and causing him to gasp lightly. Her ears twitched at his sharp intake of breath, but he barely noticed as the sickly sweet aroma of pine forests and freshly cut grass filled his nostrils and almost made him dizzy. He breathed in deeper, enjoying the strange head rush it was giving him.

'…Did you just _smell_ me, Inuzuka?'

'Wha– N-no! I mean I-I, erm…' His entire face flushed scarlet, matching his clan markings at the realisation that he'd been caught. She smirked as he stumbled over his words in a desperate attempt of denial. Before he could formulate an actual liable sentence, she was in front of him in a flash, surprising him into silence.

Luna leaned in so suddenly that all he could do was freeze, eyes widening dramatically. She pushed her face right into the crook of his neck, nuzzling his hairline ever-s0-slightly as she inhaled through her nose. Then, just as quickly she pulled back, one eye closed as she tilted her head and grinned.

'There. Now we're even!' And with that, off she skipped, the triumphant expression never leaving her face as she left him standing there looking completely stunned.

As she made her exit, it finally hit him that he was never, _never_ going to be able to understand her erratic mood swings. His hand subconsciously moved to touch the side of his neck, until chuckling brought him back down to Earth.

'What're you laughing at?' The Inu nin snapped at his white, furry companion, who was now standing faithfully at his side.

'Oh nothing. Nothing at all.' Akamaru threw him a doggy grin, which only widened at Kiba's red cheeks and angry glare.

'Whatever. Come on, let's get back to the compound.'

Around three hours later, Luna was lying flat on her back on the mattress provided in her room. She was wide awake, bored, and staring at the ceiling. It was a boring ceiling. Maybe if they painted sheep on there or something…?

She huffed and sat up straight, glancing around the room for something to pass the time. There was nothing. Heaving herself up, she padded quietly to the other side of the room, where there was a small, half-filled bookshelf. Her crimson eyes scanned the covers, but they all just seemed to be informative medical texts, so nothing really caught her interest. Luna spent enough time around sick and injured animals in the day, never mind reading about them at night too!

Her eyes found their way to her door. It was almost 4am, which meant it was unlikely anyone would be awake right now, so she supposed it couldn't hurt to explore the house a little.

Decision made, she exited the bedroom swiftly and tiptoed down the hallway towards the kitchen. Maybe a late night snack would help?

Considering the size of the building, the kitchen was quite small and compact, which made her job of finding food much easier. She riffled through one of the higher cupboards, pushing aside tins and jars until the hybrid found what she was looking for. Taking a moment to wonder if the Inuzuka's would mind, Luna pulled the can of tuna from its hiding place and set to work on locating a tin-opener. Several drawers later, she had the contraption in one hand and an open tin of tuna in the other, which didn't stay full for long.

Placing the quickly emptied can on the worktop, she licked her lips hungrily, not having realised how little she'd actually eaten that day. She was about to go in search of something more filling, when footsteps from the hall caught her attention, and her ears flickered nervously.

'I thought I smelled food out here.' The Inuzuka heir grinned, an empty water glass in his hand as he entered the kitchen.

Luna let out a small breath at his presence, and grinned rather sheepishly. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.'

'You didn't, I'm just particularly dehydrated after training yesterday.' Kiba joked, flipping on the cold tap. 'What are you doing up anyway? Don't you ever sleep?'

'No…' She admitted reluctantly, then added, 'it's hard for me to sleep at night.'

The Inu blinked sleepily, wondering whether or not he'd heard her right, but she continued before he could doubt himself further.

'My clan is nocturnal, and we don't need that much sleep in the first place, so I'm not really tired right now.'

'Oh. You should have mentioned that earlier!'

Luna's eyebrows knitted together. 'Why? It's not like you could have done anything about it…'

She did have a point. 'No, I suppose not.'

They lapsed into an awkward silence as Kiba waited for his glass to fill, the sound of flowing water the only thing breaking the atmosphere.

Thoughts of their earlier encounter slipped through the cracks of her mind and made her fists clench. She hadn't intended to get so close to him but, with the strange effect the moon had on her and the way he'd fumbled so adorably when she'd caught him in the act, Luna didn't know what came over her. She'd only been playing with him of course, but now she wasn't so sure it'd been the best idea.

A quick glance to the dog trainer had her fists tightening further. He had finished filling his glass and was now leaning against the worktop, swilling the liquid aimlessly around the container. She hoped this awkwardness was merely from a lack of conversation.

'Well, g-good night then…' She muttered finally, retreating hurriedly down the hallway and disappearing behind her bedroom door, missing the way his head snapped up and his hand reached out to stop her.

At 6:30am, Luna could no longer stand staring at the same for walls and waiting for the morning sun to make his appearance. She busied herself in the kitchen, throwing together a loosely planned breakfast and pouring herself some coffee. Just because she was part-wolf didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a good morning brew.

The hybrid girl gobbled several scraps of bacon she'd prepared, but decided on leaving enough for the other members of the household, just in case they _did_ miss the tin of tuna she'd taken without permission. Call it her apology.

She stretched out her arms in the courtyard outside the house, wincing slightly when her injured paw protested. _Damn this is getting annoying. How much longer till it's healed already?!_

The lighting was still low with dawn just around the corner, but with Luna's heightened night vision she had no issues finding her way through the compound to where Kiba had first shown her his training ground.

Something about this morning made her crave movement, or maybe it was just the considerate lack of exercise she'd been doing recently that had her ceasing up.

The she-wolf had just entered the field when a noise in the air made her pause. It was a high-pitched, 'yah' sort of noise, definitely feminine, probably human. She concentrated chakra to her nose and sniffed the air, ears twitching rapidly as she located its source. Just beyond the far line of trees, Luna found a small stream, occupied by a petite, female Leaf ninja, practising some sort of kata on the water's surface.

The hybrid girl watched for a moment, fascinated by her swift and fluid movements that ran almost perfectly in synchronisation with the stream's current.

Red eyes focused more clearly on the stranger's pale features, more specifically, her pale eyes. Light and lilac in colour, they were framed by long, delicate lashes, which themselves were almost completely shadowed by a deep indigo fringe. She was exceptionally beautiful, Luna noted, and upon further inspection realised that this girl absolutely reeked of honesty and innocence. _If you could bottle that scent, you'd be a very rich person indeed._

Ears perked forward curiously, Luna left the safety of the foliage and revealed herself to the stranger, who stopped in her tracks.

'O-oh! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you approach.' The girl stuttered, her musical voice chiming in Luna's ears like a reassuring melody. Something about her made Luna automatically feel safe.

'No, _I'm_ sorry… I didn't mean to interrupt your training. I'm Luna.' She allowed herself to smile, surprising herself with how natural it felt.

'It's nice to meet you. My name is Hinata. Are you the person staying with the Inuzukas?' She flipped her long dark hair over her shoulders and met the she-wolf at the water's edge.

'Y-yes… but how did you know about that?'

'I'm Shino and Kiba's teammate, Hinata Hyuga?' She stated, at the same time asking whether they'd mentioned her at all.

'Oh, now that you mention it, Kiba told me about you after I met Shino last week!' How could she have forgotten?!

The pale eyed girl smiled warmly, and Luna felt the familiar bubble of trust building up inside her. It was incredibly rare for a wolf to find someone they wanted to trust instantly, and it made her all the more curious about the Hyuga girl.

'I come out here early in the mornings to train. I find this time of day to be the most peaceful.'

'I suppose you could say I'm an early riser myself.' Luna nodded in agreement, scratching at her bandaged arm subconsciously, which did not go unnoticed by her companion.

'D-does your arm hurt? Please, wait here a second!'

And with that, Hinata disappearing into the trees. Luna blinked as she stared at the space she had vanished from, unsure of how to react other than to do as she'd asked.

No less than a minute passed and the Hyuga girl returned. She now held something small in her hands, which she offered to Luna in her palm a moment later. 'P-please, accept this! I-it's an ointment that will help to soothe your injury while it's healing. I had it in my bag just behind those trees!'

The hybrid stared in undisguised curiosity at the little bottle being held out to her, but nothing about the ointment seemed suspicious, and she'd already deemed Hinata trustworthy. 'But… Why would you do that for me? You don't even know me…'

'Well, you're staying with the Inuzukas, aren't you? I've been on a team with K-Kiba for almost 9 years, and I completely trust his judgement. So please, accept this!' Hinata smiled so genuinely that Luna had no choice but to accept it, returning the smile with one of deep gratitude.

'Thank you,' The she-wolf had previously heard that the Leaf ninja could be soft-hearted and weak, but Luna wouldn't class this as either of those. This was a kindness that she had never experienced before, even from members of her own clan.

' _There_ you are… Oh, hey, Hinata! What're you two doing out here?' Kiba's voice broke the atmosphere as he emerged from the trees, Akamaru bounding past him to rub against the Hyuga.

'Good morning, Kiba,' Hinata gave a small wave in greeting before turning her attention to the large white mutt at her side. 'And Akamaru!'

'Where you looking for me?' Luna asked, the question coming out snappier than she'd intended.

'Yeah I was, you have a real bad habit of disappearing without telling us, you know!' The Inu nin reprimanded, but the grin that followed ruined the effect. 'But I guess I'll let you off this time, since you left us food and all.'

'You're welcome.' Luna chuckled, making a mental note to use that again in the future.

'So, you two have met then?'

'Yes, b-but I should probably be heading home before Father wakes up. He doesn't like me leaving the compound so early without an escort, y-you see.' She turned to Luna and gave her a quick, polite bow. 'It was nice to meet you. See you another time.'

Luna nodded in response, hands still clutching the ointment as Hinata left them alone.

'Her father's a real piece of work. But he means well, I guess.' Kiba muttered, coming to stand beside Luna and flicking one of her ears when she didn't reply.

'Hey!' She started to scold him, but then stopped abruptly, realising something. 'Wait, I didn't use my henge this morning… But–'

'Yeah, Hinata wouldn't judge you by that, I'll bet she barely even glanced at them, right?' He smiled, obviously very fond of his female teammate, and Luna found herself matching his expression as though she'd known the Hyuga nin for years.

'How come you're up so early anyway?' She suddenly wondered out loud.

Kiba scoffed, pretending to be offended. 'I'm always up this early. Although, it may or may not have had something to do with the extra strong smell of bacon wafting through the house this morning…' His features broke into a grin, and Akamaru barked in agreement.

Luna smirked, turning to face him fully and moving so they were almost toe-to-toe. 'That nose of yours is like your own personal alarm clock!'

He laughed, resting one hand on his hip as he stared down at her. Their difference in height becoming blatantly obvious and removing any sort of threat – even teasingly – that she posed him. 'I'm not sure if I should take that a compliment or an insult…'

'Oh, I'd definitely say insult.' She punctuated both syllables of the word 'insult' with a quick poke to his nose, leaning up on her tip-toes as she tried to meet his eye level. Luna snickered when he scrunched up his face several times, as though trying to itch his nose without using his hands.

'Well, you seem in better spirits than when you first got here.' Kiba commented dryly as he swatted her hand away.

She sighed almost longingly and ended her assault with a quick flick to his forehead, as payback for her ear. 'I guess it's not so bad here. But I still don't trust you as far as I could throw you!'

Kiba chuckled, expecting nothing less. 'Yeah, yeah. Just wait, Princess, you'll warm up to me.'

'Keep telling yourself that, mongrel.' Luna shot back, feeling the hair on the back of her neck raise slightly at the nickname. He only laughed at her again as they made their way back towards the Inuzuka compound.

The conversation faded as the pair walked, Luna's mind wandering to her pack. How long would it be till the Leaf received news from the Land of the Moon?

'…Kiba?'

'Yes, Your Highness?'

She rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored the mockery. 'How fast are Konaha's messenger hawks?'

The question was supposed to sound casual, but any fool could guess the reason for her asking. Kiba 'hmm'ed in thought, crossing his arms behind his head as they re-entered his family territory.

'It depends which one they sent I guess. But don't worry, we'll probably hear back within the next few days.' He offered her a reassuring smile, and she nodded.

Actually, Kiba's estimate wasn't far off. Just three days after their conversation, Lady Tsunade sent an Anbu summons for Luna, Kiba and Tsume to report to her immediately.

The Hokage Tower stood out from miles away, looming over the surrounding smaller buildings like a power-hungry ruler. It was an odd looking building, rounded in shape and painted a dusty red. It was kind of dumb, Luna thought, making something so important so obvious that it practically screamed 'ready, aim, fire!'.

However, when they arrived at the obnoxiously large building, all thoughts of the village dissipated in the she-wolfs mind, allowing her to focus on only one thing: Her family.

She was nervous. So nervous in fact, that she'd almost asked Hana that morning what she should wear when greeting the village leader. Luna had thought better of asking though when she realised everyone else was just wearing their casual ninja gear, and plus, the Hokage would know she didn't have many clothes of her own. She settled on a plain black t-shirt that she'd borrowed from Hana, and a pair of black denim shorts. Simple.

They entered the tower and climbed the stairs to the third floor, coming out at a long curved hallway that appeared to wrap around the entire level. Tsume took the lead from there, striding forward with a confidence Luna wished she possessed. They continued around the seemingly endless bend, until finally an Anbu member, who'd been standing guard outside a simple brown door, greeted the trio.

'Ah, Inuzukas. We've been expecting you.'

Luna sniffed at being lumped in with the mongrels, but held her tongue this time, not wanting to offend Tsume after she'd so kindly allowed her to stay with her family.

'Tsume, Lady Tsunade would like to speak with you first.' The masked ninja addressed the older woman, who nodded professionally before following him into the room without even so much as a 'wait here,'.

Unsure of what else to do, the she-wolf paced. She was vaguely aware that Kiba had found a chair to slump into, which she hadn't previously noticed, along one of the walls. He seemed much more relaxed than she felt, and that annoyed her.

'Why are you so calm?' She snapped, her scarlet eyes flashing irritably.

The Inu nin regarded her with an unidentified expression momentarily, before shrugging. 'I'm not, I just hide it better than you.'

A small growl rumbled in her throat, but she chose to turn away and continue her pacing. Five minutes passed. Then ten. It was close to fifteen minutes when Kiba finally spoke again.

'You know, if you keep stalking round like that you're gonna wear a hole in the floor…'

She growled, ignoring him. ' _What_ is taking them so long?'

'Just try and calm down, you're not helping anyone getting wound up like this.'

Her agitation was growing worse every second. Surely this wasn't normal procedure? Something must have happened, or maybe the Leaf had changed their minds about Luna staying here, and now they were just plotting the best way to dispose of her… Her hands clenched subconsciously at the thought, her eyes squeezing shut as she focused chakra to her wolf ears that she had left undisguised atop her head.

Kiba watched her attitude change strangely. One minute, she was pissed off beyond belief and the next, she was oddly composed. Was she taking his advice and actually trying to relax? No, that'd never happen. Not in a million years. So why…? It was then that he felt the faint prickle of chakra forming in a cloud around her head. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at her attempt of eavesdropping – it'd never work. The Hokage walls were soundproofed long ago.

Just when he genuinely believed she was about to self-destruct, the door swung open to reveal his mother, with a grim expression that seemed quite foreign on her face. Tsume may be strict, firm and sometimes scary, but she was never _this_ serious. Kiba swallowed audibly, not liking the atmosphere already.

Luna was apparently far too stressed to pick up on the tension, leaping to attention when the office door was opened and all but throwing herself into the room before Tsume had even finished calling them in.

Kiba stood and began to enter, but his mother paused him in the doorway, murmuring just loud enough for him to hear, 'You might wanna brace yourself for this one, pup.'

Her son gulped again, before moving to stand just off to the side behind Luna.

Tail flickering furiously, her eyes widened with anticipation as she offered the Hokage a half-hearted greeting.

'Luna Hangetsu.' The woman behind the desk laced her fingers together to rest her chin on them. Her honey eyes were truly breath-taking, and Luna would normally have taken longer to appreciate them had she not been so eager for news on her family. Tsunade had soft-looking blonde hair that was pulled into two low ponytails at the back of her head, and the green of her Hokage robe somehow complimented her pale complexion.

'Why don't you take a seat?' Tsunade offered, gesturing to other side of her desk. Luna shifted nervously on the spot.

'A-actually, I'd prefer to stand, if that's alright.' She stuttered, heart thumping furiously in her chest.

'Very well. Well then I won't stall any longer. You've waited long enough.' The blonde leaned back in her chair, pulling out a drawer and retrieving a carrier-hawk-sized scroll. She unravelled the paper, but hesitated before handing it over. An uneasy look crossed the Hokage's face, and Luna instantly knew she was not going to like what she read. 'I just want to say, I'm sorry.'

Biting down hard on her lip, the hybrid girl nodded, meeting the woman's honey irises bravely. She took the scroll from Tsunade tenderly, as though if she didn't treat it delicately enough, it would tear into a thousand shredded pieces.

Taking a deep breath, Luna began to read, vaguely aware of Kiba scanning the words from over her shoulder.

 _Lady Tsunade,_

 _In response to your recent enquiry, we regret to inform you that the news you desire is not pleasant. Our kingdom has always lived in relative peace with the Hangetsu clan, so it is with deepest sympathies that we report our findings to you._

 _It would appear that some kind of internal war broke out and, though we found no survivors, the wolves appear to have fought amongst themselves and taken their own lives. There is no trace of forced entry or enemy remnants in their forest, however we did find the attached item beside the gate to their village, which we thought unusual._

 _With regrets,_

 _Prince Michiru Tsuki._

The office was deathly silent for several minutes. Nobody dared to move, let alone speak as Luna's eyes clouded and the paper quivered as her grasp tightened. Her mind could barely register what she was reading, though a few words and phrases had immediately leapt out at her when she had finished.

 _No survivors._ They were… all dead. All of them. There were no survivors? Not even her father? How was that possible?

 _Wolves._ Not hybrids. They had all died in their wolf forms?

 _Taken their own lives._ A civil war was absolutely unheard of in the hybrid clan, the last known war amongst them had been over 50 years ago, and that had almost wiped the entire clan from the face of the planet. There's no way they would have re-enacted such a fight…

The thoughts whirled in her head too fast for her to process, until finally, she raised her head. 'The… Erm…' Her voice broke suddenly, and she paused to recollect herself. 'The a-attached item?'

Tsunade nodded solemnly, reopening the drawer and rummaging for a moment. She placed it on the desk in front of Luna, gesturing for her to help herself. The she-wolf took a moment to unwrap the cloth folded around it, her eyebrows pulling together upon its reveal.

'You don't recognise it?' Tsunade spoke quietly, not actually expecting her to answer. But the wolves were a proud race, showing such weakness as she was right now would be called a disgrace.

'No, it's not of our clan…' She sniffed, rubbing a hand across her eyes and trying to dry her wet cheeks as she struggled to hold back the tears. 'I think it's broken though.'

She lifted the item in her hand, turning it slightly to show Tsunade. The item was some sort of wooden pipe whistle, but as Luna held it to the light, three deep gashes along the back of the pipes could be seen.

'May I?'

Luna nodded, and Tsunade took the whistle from her and began to examine it. 'I believe you're right. These marks have punctured two of the main pipes, so if it was supposed to make a specific noise, it won't anymore.'

Unsure of how to respond without breaking down, the girl just dipped her head and absently picked at the bandage that still covered her injured paw. Suddenly, a thought hit her. Unable to hide the sharp intake of breath at the idea, the three surrounding ninja's eyes snapped to hers.

'Did you think of something?' Tsume's deep voice rumbled from behind her in a way that was probably supposed to be comforting.

'M-my… My paw…' She whimpered, but she didn't need to continue. They all caught on instantly. Kiba had found her in her wolf form, fur bloodied and scuffed. She had no memory of how she'd gotten separated from her pack, and Hana had said her injured paw was most likely the result of a wolf bite.

Had she been involved? It seemed almost completely likely.

'Try not to dwell on that for the time being. Tsume has offered to extend your time with the Inuzukas, until you figure out your next move.'

'Take as long as you need.' The woman behind Luna placed a hand on the hybrids shoulder momentarily, but removed it just as quickly. The simple gesture was enough.

'C-can I…' Lower lip trembling, her voice threatened to break again, but Luna fought the tears back stubbornly. 'Can I please keep the whistle? Just for a little while?'

Tsunade gave her a small smile. 'Of course. I'd like to speak to Tsume some more, we'll need to discuss your living arrangements. I'm sure Kiba will walk you back.'

'Thank you.' Luna mumbled, taking this as her cue to leave. Kiba, who had been completely silent throughout the whole conversation, held the office door open for her. They trundled out gravely, the Inu nin moving to take the lead.

Eventually, he let out a long, shaky breath and stopped walking, turning to face her.

She met his gaze sadly as he opened his mouth to speak, but the glassy look in her eyes made him pause. A silent exchange passed between the two, and he realised there really was nothing he could say that would make any difference. Her family was dead, and Luna had probably been involved. What does one say to console that?

Her lips curled suddenly into a tiny understanding smile, but it happened so briefly that Kiba wasn't sure if he had imagined it. They moved off again, this time side-by-side, neither feeling the need to break the silence anymore and neither wanting to.

They entered the Inuzuka estate and Luna broke away, heading towards the hill she seemed so fond of. Kiba debated on following her, but inwardly shook his head at the thought. It had occurred to him that she was only holding her pain in for the sake of her clan, and her pride. And he could understand that.

Luna did not come home that night, nor the next. The Inuzukas knew she was still around from the pained howls they would sometimes hear in the dead of night. They understood that she needed time to grieve in her own way, and who were they to interrupt? She would come back when she was ready, or hungry.

It wasn't much in condolences, but their door would stay open for her to return to, in her own time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay so I have this whole story mapped out, even planned what happens in each chapter, which I'm quite proud of.

Also, if anyone noticed Prince Michiru Tsuki from the Land of the Moon, he _is_ actually from the Land of the Moon in Naruto… He's in one of the earlier pre-shippuden movies! Kudos if you knew!

Anyway I hope you liked it, let me know what you think!


	4. The strong and the Weak

**A/N:** Thanks a million to everyone who's still reading, and if you have any character or event requests, feel free to ask!

And I'm doing my best to keep everyone in character. I always try to picture them doing/saying whatever I type as I'm writing it so that it seems legit.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, only my OCs and plotline.

* * *

 **The Strong and the Weak**

Two long weeks, Luna stayed away. She couldn't sleep. She barely ate. She didn't want to face anyone. But the one thought that continuously occupied her mind, was that her family would be so disappointed in her.

 _Such weakness_ , her father would tut.

 _Such vulnerability_ , her mother would sigh.

Her brothers and sisters would roll their eyes, but choose not to comment.

 _Hell_ , she missed them though.

It was after these two miserable weeks that Luna finally shook some sense into herself. She needed to get out, distract herself. She would honour her family in the best way she knew how, by holding her head high and carrying on. They would want that for her.

This thought process is exactly how Luna found herself in her current situation.

Squeezing herself uncomfortably in between the Hyuga heiress and the one they called Tenten, Luna grit her teeth nervously. She had bumped into Hinata again that morning, who had suggested she come out with her friends for Barbeque that evening. So here she was.

Her discomfort must have been painfully obvious, since the female ninja were all doing their best to keep their facial expressions light and welcoming. Though she had her henge activation to hide her ears and tail, she still felt the scrutiny of their gazes.

The hybrid girl glanced to the side where Hinata was smiling warmly, and she felt herself relax slightly. There was just something about Hinata that made her instantly trustworthy in the she-wolf's eyes. Maybe it was the oddly calming scent of camomile tea and lavender that seemed to radiate from the girl, or maybe it was the softness her pale eyes added to her already gentle expression. Subconsciously, she shifted closer to Hinata.

'So, Luna, how do you like the village?' The girl who addressed her, Luna learned, was Ino Yamanaka. Her eyes held a similar pupil-less quality to Hinatas, though their crystal blue colour held a sharpness that had the she-wolf on edge. Her long, platinum blonde hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, leaving a large portion at the front loose to shadow her right eye. She was very pretty, Luna decided, but she'd long since learned to never judge a book by its cover.

'It's very pleasant… I like the views at night.' She supplied, hoping her answer would satisfy the village in question's residents.

'Have you been up to the top of the Kage mountain?' The pinkette beside Ino asked, continuing when Luna shook her head, no. 'The view from up there is by far the best. Especially at night… You're nocturnal, right?'

'Sakura! You can't just throw out assumptions like that, it's rude.' The blonde interrupted, her almost transparent eyebrows pulling together.

'It's not an assumption, Ino-pig! I've read up on the Hangetsu clan–'

'Whatever, Forehead! You shouldn't be looking them up behind her back!'

'If you'd let me finish, I was about to say in the past! Before Luna even got here actually! I'm a medical ninja, I have to know about intricate clan details like that if ever I need to heal one!'

While Sakura and Ino bickered, Tenten chuckled, swilling her drink around in its glass as she spoke. 'Don't worry, they're always like this. That's pretty cool though, that you're nocturnal!'

Luna scrunched up her nose in disagreement, briefly noticing the brunette's earthy scent. 'Not really, it's just inconvenient for me at the moment.'

'Oh, I suppose that's true. I don't think I've ever met anyone who's normally asleep in the day before now…' She trailed off in thought, before her eyes snapped back to the hybrid's. 'Sakura's right though, the view is the prettiest from the mountain when all the lanterns are lit at night.'

Hinata nodded too. 'You should ask Kiba to take you one night. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, and I don't think our team has any upcoming missions.'

'Eh?' Ino chose this moment to re-join the conversation, eyebrows raising suggestively. 'So you and Kiba, huh?'

The she-wolf scoffed, but Hinata quickly jumped to her rescue. 'I-I only meant that, since she's living with his family and all, h-he's the most likely to have the time!'

Despite the insinuation, Luna grinned at the Hyuga. If it hadn't been for the nervous stuttering, her argument would have been almost convincing, but Ino didn't strike her as the type to let things slide easily.

'Oh, come on! I can't be the only one who sees the convenience here?' Icy blue eyes narrowed at her friend's confused expressions, but it was Sakura who finally questioned her.

'What do you mean, 'the convenience'?'

'Well, she's part wolf right? And Kiba's… Well, you know! He has a soft spot for all things canine!'

'Are you calling me a dog?' Luna suddenly growled, startling the others enough to make them shrink away from her slightly.

Ino held her hands up quickly. 'No, that's not what I mean... Forehead! Help me out here!'

The pinkette flipped her shoulder length hair arrogantly, sending a strawberry flavoured draft in Luna's direction as she turned her nose up slightly. 'No way, Ino-pig. You got yourself into this one.'

After several quick glances around the table, Ino sighed, defeated. 'Alright, alright. I take it back… So, _is_ there anyone who's caught your eye yet, Luna?'

'Ino!' They all chorused, making the blonde laugh before they all settled into a more casual conversation.

During a particularly heated discussion between Tenten and Ino, on a topic that was lost to the she-wolf, Luna found herself catching the final member of the table's scent. The Yamanaka girl honestly smelled like a flower shop, with a lingering trace of honey beneath the floral aroma.

She wasn't sure why she was suddenly so intent on gathering each of their scents, maybe it was all that time living with the Inuzuka's beginning to rub off on her? She shuddered at the thought.

They stayed another hour or so, with Luna polishing off the remnants of barbeque that had been long forgotten by the chattering friends, until finally, Hinata stood up.

'Well, I should be going now. It's getting kind of late.' She bowed her head in a polite goodbye, but must have seen the panicked look forming on Luna's face as she made her leave, and turned back to her. 'My home is kind of near the Inuzuka estate, if you want to walk back with me?'

Grateful for the excuse to leave, the hybrid nodded eagerly and leapt to her feet. 'Thank you for the evening! It was nice meeting you all.'

A series of goodbye's followed as she hurried out the door behind the Hyuga, shivering slightly as the cool air hit her skin.

'It's a nice night, don't you think?' Hinata smiled as she walked, holding out a hand into the air as though checking for rain.

'It's a little chilly.' Luna admitted, but other than that, it _was_ a nice night.

The rest of the journey was made in relative silence, Hinata bidding her a soft goodnight at the gates of the Hyuga compound. 'Will you be able to find your way back from here, Luna?'

'Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks Hinata!' She gave her the friendliest smile she could muster along with a quick wave, before setting off for home.

 _Home_. Is that what she was going to call it from now on? It wasn't exactly where she had pictured herself living in the future, but Luna was nothing if she wasn't adaptable. This was just the way her life had turned out, and she'd just have to make do with it. _When life gets tough, the tough get going._ She chuckled aloud at the quote she remembered one of her village elders telling her once as a whelp. Hell, she missed them all.

But, her days of moping were over. Her family would want her to be strong and to move forward, so that's what she was going to do. She lifted her head confidently as she rounded the last corner to her destination, determination setting in in her glossy red irises. She was vaguely surprised to find Akamaru waiting for her at the compound gates, his tail wagging briefly as she greeted him.

'Hey, Akamaru. What're you doing out here?'

'Waiting for you, of course!' The voice that followed she _knew_ didn't belong to the animal before her, but a certain Inu nin that was usually found alongside said animal.

'What, were you worried I'd break curfew?' She raised an eyebrow sarcastically, stalking past them both and huffing when Kiba fell into step beside her.

'Actually I was worried you'd get lost again. You didn't offend anyone while you were out, did you?'

'No! Why would I have offended anyone?' She almost shouted, temper flaring.

'Well, you seem to make it your life's goal to offend _me_ on a daily basis, so it's only natural I'd assume that.' The Inuzuka heir chuckled, unfazed by her curt tone as he strolled along casually. He matched her quick pace easily, still managing to seem relaxed, which only served to fuel her irritation. 'Are you tired?'

'Do I _look_ tired?' Luna snapped, coming to an abrupt halt and slapping her hands to her hips. Henge released, her tail swished angrily and her ears flattened while she spoke.

Again, he chuckled. 'No. I was just wondering why you're home so early. Early for you, anyway.'

She blinked slowly. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Normally when you're out in the night, you don't come back till all hours of the morning. But it's only 10:30 right now!'

'What, are you stalking me? And geez you make me sound like I'm up drinking all night!' She took off again, rolling her eyes and growling under her breath when he caught her up. When the Inu nin didn't immediately respond, she decided to humour him. 'I came home because Hinata left, and I didn't really want to hang around without her there…'

'I can understand that – Ino and Sakura can be pretty intense. Tenten's more down to Earth though, I thought you'd get on with her?'

Luna let out another, calmer breath, her anger gradually subsiding. 'I did, but I don't really know them yet. I suppose they'll grow on me.'

Kiba nodded in agreement. His mouth pulled up into a half smile that seemed to say, _give it time_.

She honestly didn't know why her mood swings were so out-of-control around him, but it didn't sit well with her. The she-wolf was pretty sure it ran deeper than just a level of mistrust, though even she could admit her hot-headedness didn't help when it came to his teasing personality. Then again, that only confused her more. Normally, she could take a joke as well as the next person, but it always felt much more personal coming from him. Maybe it was the rivalry her clan had subconsciously felt about the Inuzukas?

'Luna?' Kiba barked suddenly, snapping her out of her reverie.

'Huh?'

'I said, if you're not tired, why don't we do something?'

She stared at the Inu nin momentarily, as though he'd just sprouted a second head, before answering. 'Like what?'

He shrugged nonchalantly. 'Anything. I don't really feel like sleeping yet either.'

A small voice murmured an idea in the back of the hybrids head, and she frowned at the suggestion. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it again quickly to debate with herself. Thinking about it, Luna was unlikely to go to bed for a few hours yet anyway. And if Kiba was offering… She supposed it couldn't hurt to suggest it, and after all, it wasn't _technically_ her idea.

When she finally started to reply, she realised he was watching her oddly, as though wondering whether he'd upset her or not. 'Actually, there is something…'

If he'd had hybrid ears like her, she swore they'd have perked up right then. His eyes lit up in curiosity, tilting his head forward a fraction as he awaited her proposal.

'Erm… Well Sakura mentioned something earlier…' She mumbled, unsure as to why she was having such a hard time voicing the idea.

The Inuzuka leaned down slightly, head still slanted towards her as he strained to hear. 'You know, _you_ may have super hearing, but I don't!'

She scowled, but the spark of anger ignited new found confidence. 'When I told the girls that I liked the village views, Sakura mentioned that the best view was from the top of the Kage mountain. Then Hinata suggested that you might be able to show me one night when the lanterns are lit…?'

'Oh~!' He said, leaning back and throwing her a grin that was just so _Kiba_. 'Alright then. Let's go!'

Luna let out a breath she'd been holding, realising with surprise that she had actually been worried that he'd refuse. Shaking her head at the strange apprehension, she scurried after the Inuzuka heir, who had already leapt up onto one of the rooftops and was waiting for her to join him.

She resisted rolling her eyes at his hesitation, figuring he was probably wondering if she was capable of making such a jump. Luna might not be able to do distinctive ninjutsu like an average ninja, but she still had access to her chakra. Besides, wolves had excellent agility.

To prove that fact, the she-wolf made an extra effort to spring as high and as far as she could, without flinging herself off the other side of the building, smirking slightly when she heard him chuckle lowly and sounding impressed. In reality, she realised he was probably just mocking her, but she didn't care. She'd made her point.

Kiba took the lead after that, and the pair hopped swiftly from rooftop to rooftop until they arrived at the bottom of the mountain wall.

'So, how do we climb this thing?' Luna wondered, eyes trailing across the five rock faces carved into the side.

'Climb it? Yeah~, or we could just use the stairwell over there?' Kiba pointed to a dark metal railing at the foot of the mountain, a little way off to the side of where they were standing. He was teasing her again, she knew that, but it still ticked her off.

'Well I didn't see that, did I?' She growled under her breath as she stomped past him.

'I thought you were supposed to have super night vision too!' He laughed, eyes glinting mischievously as he jogged after her, but her eyes suddenly fell serious.

'I'm not some superhero, you know.' She muttered lowly, but Kiba was just close enough to catch her words before they died on the breeze.

Her sudden solemn attitude seemed to sober his joking too, for as he climbed the steps beside her, he lowered his voice to match hers. 'I know.'

She risked a glance at his expression, half expecting him to break out into a grin and say something stupid like, _there's nothing super about you, Princess!_ But he didn't, he just held her gaze calmly.

Luna had only ever experienced the feeling of true sincerity once before in her life. She was just a pup when it had happened, too young for her to really grasp the full effect of it. The feeling had emanated from her mother, Tsukiyo, one night when their village had been threatened by a rogue band of hunters, who after their wolf pelts. Tsukiyo had hurried Luna, along with her brother and sisters, into the depths of their den and told them to keep silent.

Her mother was fiercely loyal and exceptionally protective, but that didn't stop her youngest brother, Mutsuki from whimpering quietly as a fire broke out in the courtyard of their home. They had expected their mother to turn and snap at the pup for potentially giving their position away, but she didn't. Instead, she had transformed silently into her pure white lupine form, and curled the five of them up in the arc of her body. The tips of her tail and muzzle almost touched as she hugged them to her, holding them protectively while they quivered in fear. Though the fear of the outside threat never left Luna's mind, she had never felt more safe or more loved than that moment right there. She almost wished they could have stayed like that together, forever.

The hybrid girl had long since thrown away any hope of ever even coming close to such a feeling again, and yet, there was something in the way Kiba had looked at her then that made her wonder. Wonder what exactly, she wasn't sure. It was just a prickle of a feeling, which had led her back to that particular memory.

By now, they'd almost reached the top, and she had to resist the urge to look around now and take in the view from here. But she didn't want to spoil it for herself when they were so close.

Kiba was being uncharacteristically quiet, and she found her gaze drawn towards his inquisitively. He grinned when their eyes met, breaking whatever trance-like state Luna had set herself in. She chuckled at his excitement, like he'd never seen this view before either. Was it really something so wonderful? She hoped it was.

Clambering up the last few steps, Luna silently congratulated herself for not having to pause for breath. Her eyes lit up eagerly as she began to face the view they had gone through so much effort to see, but Kiba suddenly pulled her back around by the wrist.

'What are you doing? You can't look _now_ , we're not there yet!' He scolded, tugging her away from the staircase and further along the clifftop.

'Hey! How are we not there yet? Where are we going?' She whined, only mildly irritated. Patience was not one of her finer qualities.

'You'll see!' Kiba led her around a tall sandy coloured watch tower that stood atop the mountainside, chuckling at the pout she held firmly in place. He paused when they reached another staircase, located at the back of the building.

'Up here, follow me!' He grinned, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, before turning to climb the steps.

Luna huffed but did as he said, curiosity getting the better of her. When they reached the top, she was glad she had.

The rooftop was entirely covered with abandoned potted plants and hanging baskets, and despite the fact that the majority of the foliage were either dead or dying, it was strangely beautiful. Luna let out a breath. It was dark, but there was a visible glow coming from the village below, which illuminated the plants in varying and unusual shaped silhouettes. It may not look all that appealing to a day-dweller, but to a nocturnal being of the darkness with heightened night vision, it was perfect.

'What is this building?' She asked the Inu nin. She had thought it was an old watch tower, but now she wasn't sure.

'It used to be where the village elders spent most of their time, but they've recently moved into the village near the Hokage tower, so this place is pretty much empty.'

Luna couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for what could have been a lovely rooftop garden, now left alone to rot and die. Not wanting to continue that depressing thought, the she-wolf moved closer to the edge of the roof where Kiba was waiting, his legs dangling over the side as he beamed, almost proudly. She hadn't even realised she was holding her breath until the air escaped her lips in awe at the view she now faced. _Okay, so it really_ was _worth it, after all._

Every street was feathered with soft, golden lantern light, and the brightly coloured building tops seemed to shimmer in the glow. She had thought it odd that they would paint their buildings so brightly, but if this was their intention then Luna could completely buy it. It was breath-taking.

The Inuzuka beside her shifted so that, rather than watching her reaction with an expression like a child at Christmas, he too was gazing over the Leaf village. The fondness for his home was evident in his eyes, and Luna had to smile at the pure look of serenity on his face.

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, each content to drink in the view in their own way without disturbing the other. The hybrid girl felt a wave of calm wash over her, so much so that she almost dared to believe she could be happy.

It wasn't that Luna had experienced a lot of sadness or grief in her life, in fact until recently, she'd led an absolutely ordinary life for someone of her kind. But her world had changed so drastically in the past two months, that she just wasn't sure what she wanted out of life anymore. Everyone she had loved and trusted was gone, and it seemed her family's teachings of mistrust to anyone outside her clan had been drilled into her so deeply, that she wondered if she'd ever be able trust again. She hoped she would. She could get used to this view.

'I'm really sorry about your family, by the way. I never got to tell you before.' Her companion murmured softly, as though reading her mind. Their eyes met and her lip quivered, caught off guard by the sudden broach of topic. Kiba watched as she fought back the sadness, forcing a small nod and chewing her lip.

'It's not weak to cry, you know.' He dropped her gaze as he spoke, staring out over the view and focusing on somewhere along the horizon beyond the village. 'I know it's not the same, but my dad left when I was just a pup. I thought if I let anyone see how much it affected me, everyone would laugh or think I was just being pathetic. But that's not true.'

Luna sniffed as she listened, not wanting to interrupt him for once. Guilt welled up inside her as she realised she'd been too wrapped up in her own inner turmoil to even wonder about his situation. To hear that he'd grown up without a father hit her hard. Kiba was right, it wasn't the same, but it was still important.

'Then one day, I was kicking a ball around alone in our backyard, when Lord Third passed by our estate. He asked me why I wasn't playing with the other kids, and I told him it was 'cause I didn't have anything to say to them because they were all annoying. I still remember that face he gave me when I said that, like I'd just told him the most offensive joke on the planet. He burst into some long-winded lecture about giving people a chance and getting to know them even if you don't think they're worth it, because at the end of the day everyone's equal. I don't know what it was he said, but the next thing I knew I just broke down, tears and snot everywhere.' The Inu nin paused to laugh at the memory, but his eyes remained trained on the same spot on the horizon.

'I guess the way he was talking to me reminded me of how a father would teach his kid life lessons like that. Lord Third was always like a father-figure to me after that. I really looked up to him… Anyway, my point is, you don't have to go through things alone. People won't judge you the way you think they will. Crying just shows that you're human anyway. Well, mostly.' He threw her a wink at this, breaking the seriousness that had begun to form in the atmosphere.

Luna was quiet for a long while after he finished. She thought hard about what he'd said, and wondered if that was why everyone was being so nice to her. If the teachings of their Third Hokage was treat everyone equally, even if you don't think they're worth the time, then was that why they had taken her in? Her eyebrows pulled together as she pondered this. Maybe Kiba was right. Maybe she wasn't alone, after all.

But then, did that mean that underneath it all, they didn't think she was worth it? _I mean really, what have I ever done for them to deserve this sort of kindness._ She doubted that was true of everyone in the Leaf, like Hinata. The Hyuga was just too nice to ever think so lowly of people, Luna was sure. But what about the other girls? Had they only made an effort with her to honour their deceased leader?

And what about the Inuzuka's, the first ones in the village to show such hospitality? Thinking about it, they hadn't even intentionally welcomed her into their home in the first place. She had been in her wolf form when they met. Had she backed them into a corner and now they were just too polite to refuse her welcome? Did they secretly want rid of her? Did Kiba?

The realisation made her fists clench, breath catching in her throat as she felt the familiar unwanted prickle of panic in her chest. She stared straight ahead of her, all traces of security and confidence that had built up during her time in the Leaf plummeting in an instant. Was she just a nuisance?

Beside her, Kiba shifted closer, sensing her rising stress and trying to calm her back down. But that only served to fuel her theory greater. He was just following those teachings. No one actually wanted her there…

'I-I should go…' She spoke so low that her voice was a mere whisper on the wind, but he still heard her.

'What are you talking about?' He shifted again, this time to face Luna, confusion etched onto his features. But she stubbornly refused to mirror the action.

'I need to leave this place. I need to go, _now_ …' She leapt to her feet suddenly, all but sprinting down the building stairwell and towards the mountain steps without so much as a glance over her shoulder.

'W-what… Hey, wait!' It took the Inuzuka heir longer to react than he cared to admit, completely bewildered by her strange outburst. Kiba wondered what he'd said that could make her reach _that_ conclusion. The story had been his way of trying to convince her that she could stay and move on with her life here, not that she should leave!

'Luna, just wait a sec! Damn it.' He growled in frustration as he darted after the she-wolf, skipping each set of steps on the cliff-face and just leaping from platform to platform. It was mildly impressive that Luna was so far managing to outrun him, but she'd had a head start, so his pride wasn't wounded too badly.

Her tail swished behind her violently as she raced through the lantern-laced streets, slowing down only to whip around tight corners. Using his knowledge of the village layout to his advantage, Kiba broke away from following her momentarily to take a short cut. The detour brought him out just two steps behind her, but that was all he needed to close the final distance and catch up.

'Just hold up a second!' He made several attempts to grab her arm, but ended up yanking her tail by mistake, making her yelp in slight pain and shock.

It did the trick though. Luna spun around abruptly, coming to a perfect halt, her face a mixture of angry tears and fear. He almost barrelled straight into her at the suddenness of her standstill, but managed to compose himself at the last second.

'What do you want?! I'm leaving, okay?' She snarled, backing up two steps.

He raised his arms in the air, elbows bent and palms forward. 'Just take it easy, I just want to help you.'

'No, you don't. You feel like you _have_ to!' She shouted, ignoring the strange looks some passers-by were giving them.

'What _are_ you talking about?' He frowned, utterly confused.

'I'm relieving you of your duty to treat me the same as everyone else. I _know_ I'm not worth it, so you don't have to bother anymore!' She tried to run again, but he caught her forearm just in time, dragging her along to somewhere they'd cause less of a scene. For some reason, she barely protested, simply allowing him to lead her along until they arrived at a dimly lit park. There were still a few people milling about in the nearby streets that could be seen from the playground, but other than that it was quiet.

The dog trainer released her arm as he shoved her towards a bench, relieved to see Luna actually slump onto the seat as he'd intended her to, looking pitiful and defeated.

He stayed standing, rubbing his thumb and forefinger over his eyes as he cursed the situation. _What a mess._

'Alright, now tell me what the hell you're talking about.'

The hybrid dropped her head into her hands, ears flattening sideways as she mumbled through her fingers, 'I don't want to be a burden anymore. That's why I said I should go.'

'Whoever said you were a burden?'

'You did! When you said that, that Lord Third taught you to get to know people even if they aren't worth it!'

'Oh~. Now I get it! This is one of those women things where you think you're saying one thing, but they hear something entirely different, right?' He scoffed, both hands on his hips as he continued to stand in front of her. 'I only told you that story 'cause I figured you'd appreciate the familiarity of the situation.'

She spread her fingers slightly to peep up at him through the gaps, her voice still sounding very small. '…What?'

He groaned and threw his hands up in the air, pacing a little before moving to sit beside her on the bench. 'I was _trying_ to say that there's always someone out there that's willing to listen, a shoulder to cry on, blah, blah. I wasn't hinting at you to leave!'

'…You weren't?' She sniffed, twisting her body briefly to face him better.

'No. You don't have to feel like you're so unwelcome all the time. You have friends here.'

'Friends…' She whispered the word, more to herself really. Friends outside her clan? Unheard of! Her father would be furious, and her mother would sigh and frown. ' _Outsiders can't be trusted, Luna. Never forget that.'_ And yet…

'Look, er, I know I said crying's great and all, but people are gonna think I'm breaking up with you or something if you keep it up right now!' Despite everything, she let out a small laugh at this, snuffling as she wiped her eyes.

'Let's just go home, you can plan your great escape when we're not getting funny looks from civilians, 'kay?'

She nodded, still smiling lightly as she allowed herself to be directed back home. _Home_. Kiba had used that word, and she found herself wanting more than anything to believe him.

Maybe Luna could have learned a few things from the Third Hokage. If she wanted the Leaf ninja to give her an equal chance, then she needed to do the same. They weren't all bad once you got to know them, and it turned out they really _had_ been making an effort.

And also, Luna was growing quite fond of some of them in particular…

* * *

 **A/N:** N'aww yay for fluff, right?

Hope you liked it!


	5. The Mongrel and the Pure-Bred

**A/N:** Thank you again to all my readers, you're all wonderful people and this fic would not be continued without you! I really hope you like this chapter, it lightens the mood a little (I hope) and then back to the main plot towards the end.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto!

* * *

 **The Mongrel and the Pure-Bred**

Rock Lee was a piece of work.

Really, Luna didn't think she'd ever met someone with such boisterous enthusiasm as this strange green specimen. He was borderline creepy, but eventually, she decided that he was harmless. Actually, she found herself warming to his unusual personality more and more the longer she was around him.

They were currently walking side-by-side towards the looming gates at the entrance of the Leaf. This would be the first time Luna had left the village grounds, and she wasn't sure whether to feel excited or nervous. Had she been making the journey alone, she'd have been completely unfazed. But she wasn't alone. Far from it in fact.

Not only was she accompanied by the Leaf's bushy-browed weirdo, but also the entire population of that generation's Leaf ninja, it seemed. There were actually only twelve of them, fourteen if she included herself and Akamaru. Kiba had told her that these were the people he had grown up with from the academy, with the exception of Sai, who had only joined them later. Luna wasn't sure what to make of the ex-Anbu yet, with his obviously fake smile and pasty pale skin, but she swallowed her nerves and forced a fake smile of her own during the introductions.

The trip they were about to endure was all Lee's idea, but the others seemed to have jumped on the band wagon pretty easily. Their argument being that they never spent any time together as a group anymore, with all the missions and village work they'd been doing recently, so it was definitely time they all took a break. The only ones who'd needed slightly more convincing were the less than eager Nara heir, Shikamaru, and the oddly expressionless Hyuga male, Neji. Remembering names and faces didn't come as naturally to Luna as it should have, but this particular group were just so diverse, it was hard to get them mixed up.

So far, she found herself feeling more comfortable around the louder group members, like Rock Lee, Naruto and Sakura. They seemed the most likely to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and that kind of openness left little room for suspicion in the she-wolf's mind.

The hybrid girl had been completely overwhelmed at first, absolutely appalled at the idea of spending a whole night out in the wilderness with a load of strangers. However, the Inu nin had been very convincing, telling her it'd be a good way to start making some new allies. Luna had given it her best shot to get out of it, coming up with solid excuses for a good ten minutes, but every time, Kiba had found a counter solution and she had finally been forced to agree.

 _But seriously, camping?!_ She groaned inwardly, only vaguely aware that Rock Lee was still babbling aimlessly beside her about the power of youth. As they left Konaha territory, she glanced over her shoulder to where Kiba and Akamaru were having an animated conversation with Naruto. The Uzumaki was waving his hands dramatically in front of him while Kiba laughed. They seemed happy.

Luna let out a small sigh and turned back to focus on what Lee was saying, but was surprised to find someone else had joined their conversation. The hybrid girl smiled in recognition as Tenten interrupted her teammate's ramblings.

'Alright Lee, enough with the lecture. I think she gets it.'

'But Tenten, what will Guy-Sensei think if I do not continue to spread the knowledge of the power of youth?' Tenten looked about to reply when suddenly, he shouted, 'Wait a second! I have just had the most brilliant idea!'

He stopped mid-step theatrically, every muscle freezing in place as he considered his sudden realisation. The rest of the group paused too, some grimacing as they awaited their comrade's presumably ridiculous suggestion.

'We should make this trip part of our training! Who is up for a test of strength and speed? I will call it, Rock Lee's Youthful Test of Strength and Speed!'

Luna held back the facepalm she was so desperate to enact, giggling when several other members actually _did_ slap their palms to their heads.

'Alright! You're on Bushy Brows!' Naruto gave a roar-like battle cry, pumping his fists in the air and rivalling Lee's cringe-worthy enthusiasm. 'So how're we doing this?'

'It is simple! I do not know why I had not thought of it sooner!'

'Oh brother…' Ino sighed loudly.

'Remind me again why I agreed to this?' Shikamaru tutted, folding his arms behind his head.

'Come on then, what's the big idea?' Kiba pressed, though he kept a frown on his features, reluctant to encourage their behaviour.

'We shall make the journey to our destination a race! A test of strength, speed, stamina, and most importantly, dedication to the cause!'

'What cause?' Tenten grumbled under her breath, and Luna had to silently agree. This guy was really making no sense at all anymore.

'Everyone, pair up!'

Suddenly, Rock Lee was standing with his back to Neji, offering it to him like a platform.

'Lee, I am not getting on your back, no matter how much you stand there.' The Hyuga shot him down instantly, but Lee was completely undeterred.

'It is necessary for the sake of our training, Neji!'

'It is not happening.'

'But Neji!'

'I said no, Lee.'

'Erm, guys?' Luna surprised herself by speaking up before their argument got out of hand.

'Yes, Luna?' The youth-loving ninja leapt to attention, and she half expected him to salute her.

'Why don't we just race in pairs, rather than piggy-back… We could tie our hands together or something, like a three-legged race? But we'd still have use of all our legs, since running high speed through a forest sounds like a one-way trip to disaster…'

The surrounding ninja were quiet momentarily, considering the idea, until Lee broke the silence with an overwhelming thumbs up.

'That is an excellent idea!'

'Alright! Everyone grab a partner!' Naruto grinned, immediately turning to the Pinkette beside him. 'What do you say, Sakura?'

The Haruno cracked her knuckles, a look of determination crossing her face. 'You'd better not slow me down, Naruto!'

Tenten summoned enough rope for them to use, and the squabbling began. It took longer than it should have, but eventually everyone managed to begrudgingly agree on a partner. Kiba naturally paired up with Akamaru, loosely tying a rope around his wrist and Akamaru's foreleg, with enough slack for them both to stand normally.

Then there was Hinata and Shino, Sai and Ino, Choji and Shikamaru and, to Neji's distaste, he ended up with Lee anyway. Luna paired up with Tenten. She hated to admit it, but Kiba had been right when he said they'd get along well.

'Okay, everybody, get ready. On my mark…' Lee called out, looking far more riled up than humanly possible. 'GO~!'

The teams sprung forward, all following the same path and moving at a similar pace until they reached their first split in the road. They had luckily already decided on a location, so at least they all knew where the finish line was. Well, everyone except Luna, who was simply relying on Tenten to lead the way.

Their paces matched surprisingly well, falling into step easily with each other and quickly finding a high speed they were both comfortable with. Some pairs split off to the left, some to the right. Some even broke away completely to run through the trees and foliage.

Behind her, Luna could hear Ino telling Sai that they couldn't let Forehead and Naruto beat them, and to pick up the pace or else. Lee and Neji were long gone, while Shikamaru and Choji trailed along at the back, not actually appearing to put in a lot of effort. She chuckled at the strange experience. The hybrid certainly wasn't expecting to get involved in such an intensely childish event with a gang of Leaf chunin and jounin when she woke up that morning!

After a while of running, Tenten spoke up. 'We're not far now, just across this river!'

Luna nodded as the water came into sight. It was wider than she expected, but would probably be little to no effort for a ninja with expert chakra control to cross it. She would rather have jumped it, but Tenten didn't appear to be slowing down, so the she-wolf braced herself and channelled as steady a flow of chakra that she could to her feet.

To her relief, her control held out and they made it without delay. Neither were really expecting to win with Lee and Naruto in the mix, not to mention Kiba and Akamaru.

As predicted, Neji and his spangled green partner were already there and setting up the first tent. On the other side of the clearing, Naruto and Sakura were arguing with Sai and Ino over who had beaten who, apparently having arrived neck and neck.

Akamaru barked a greeting from the shade of an overhanging tree branch where Kiba was leaning against its trunk with his arms crossed.

'Finally made it, huh?' He grinned as Tenten untangled the rope from around their wrists.

'Are we last?' Tenten asked, sounding surprised. She hadn't seemed all that competitive during the run, but perhaps she'd been holding back?

'Nah, you beat Hinata, Shino, Choji and Shikamaru…'

This time, even Luna looked appalled. 'Wasn't this supposed to be a break for you guys?'

'That was the idea…' Tenten muttered, glaring daggers at the one who instigated the whole thing. Lee beamed and waved excitedly in response, oblivious to his comrade's sour mood.

Hinata and Shino arrived next, and when the last pair finally did emerge from the treeline, it didn't come as a shock to find them strolling casually, with not a bead of sweat on either of them.

'Did you lazy bums walk the whole way?' Ino prodded their foreheads simultaneously with each hand, and not lightly from the sound of their grumbling. Luna chuckled at the sight. Despite Ino looking absolutely terrifying as she scolded them, she couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy. The way they were with each other, the way everyone acted together, it was obvious how close they were. Kiba had said they'd grown up together, and it showed, even when they argued. It was never spiteful, and there was always a comforting level of familiarity in each interaction between the group members.

Luna wanted that. She wanted more than anything to feel the strength of those bonds too. But she wasn't one of their childhood group. Her eyes trailed to the black eyed, black haired member, Sai. He was sat alone on one of the overturned logs the Leaf ninja had dragged into a circle around their soon-to-be campfire.

Sucking in a breath, she made her way over to him.

'H-hey.' She smiled as she sat beside him. He glanced at her, seeming surprised at first, but his face soon fell into his signature fake smile.

'Hello.'

'So, I heard you didn't graduate at the academy with the others. How long have you known everyone?' She questioned, hoping she sounded casual.

'That's correct. I graduated aged 9 and became a chunin at 10, so I only actually met everyone when I joined team 7, around 5 years ago.' He stated informatively, as though reciting from a script.

'Wow.' Her eyebrows rose at this. 'Did you get along with everyone right away?'

Sai let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. 'Not at all. Actually the first time I met Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji we almost started a fight in the middle of Konaha.'

'But, you're all good friends now, right?'

'Yes. It took a long time for me to trust any of them though.' He paused, debating with himself over something momentarily before continuing. 'I was a part of a secret group of Anbu, who worked directly under one of the village elders, a man named Danzo. They teach you to completely erase your emotions, to become heartless. So it was very difficult for me to form bonds of friendship afterwards.'

'I see. I think I can understand that.' She breathed, feeling better about her situation, and on some level, more comfortable around Sai. _So he went through the same thing I am now, huh?_

'Here, perhaps this will help you.' Sai rummaged in his bag for a moment, before revealing a book of sorts. She accepted the item from him, turning it over to read the cover out loud.

'A Sure-fire Way to Making Friends?'

Again with the fake smile, 'it really helped me when I was getting to know everyone. Although, when you get to the part about nicknames, I would avoid calling Sakura ugly.' He rubbed his cheek absently as though nursing a bruise. _Alright, maybe Sai isn't the best one to go to for advice…_

'Okay guys, let's get these tents up before it gets any darker.' Shikamaru drawled, gesturing to the pile of material, pegs and rope that was lying in a heap on the floor.

'I have an idea! We should split into teams and make it a test of–'

'No Lee!' Everyone chorused, effectively cutting him off before he could rile anyone up, like Naruto.

Luna laughed, something she found herself doing a lot more these days. She stuck by Hinata and Kiba, who she'd be sharing her tent with. The sleeping arrangements were another issue that had taken far too long to solve, as it seemed most things did with these people. In the end, everyone had agreed to share with their mission-assigned team members, with the exception of Shino. The insect user had kindly offered to share with Neji's team, so Luna could stay with his remaining comrades, since she trusted them the most. And since Akamaru would be staying with them too, there'd be no room for all five of them.

She was exceptionally grateful, though on reflection, realised it wouldn't have been so terrible if she'd had to share with some of the others. It wasn't a lie to say they were growing on her. The thought made her smile softly.

Now, as the night's sky began to seep through the clouds and the silvery moon began its draw on the she-wolf, Luna felt herself relaxing. The group had arranged themselves to sit in a circle around the fire they'd created, and were all chattering happily amongst themselves.

At first, Luna only watched and listened from afar, too hesitant to initiate any conversation just yet. But after a while, the Inu heir beside her nudged her knee with his own playfully, throwing her a look that reminded her of what he'd said a few nights back. _You have friends here…_

She glanced around the group nervously, trying to decide on who would be the most approachable. Naruto or Lee were her first choices, but they were preoccupied with who could toast their marshmallows the fastest while simultaneously trapped in 'the staring contest to end all staring contests ever'. _Weird_.

She had finally decided on striking up a conversation with Tenten, who had just finished nibbling on her half-burnt marshmallow. Luna's mouth opened, but it was Ino's voice that spoke up.

'Hey, Luna?'

Scarlet eyes snapped to icy blue. 'Huh?'

Beside her, Kiba chuckled and muttered under his breath, 'You got out of it this time, Princess…'

She grimaced slightly. The hybrid knew she had to brave it eventually, take the plunge and start making an effort on her own, just not yet. Not today.

'Are you really part wolf? I mean, how is that possible?'

'Who's being rude this time, Ino-pig?' Sakura growled, but Shikamaru joined Ino on this one.

'Actually I've been wondering that myself, if you don't mind us asking.'

Suddenly, thirteen sets of eyes were on hers, and she laughed nervously. 'Erm, well I guess I could show you…'

Kiba raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment. He had wondered how long she'd keep her appearance hidden from everyone here. Had she originally been planning to sleep with her henge too?

'Show us? What do you mean?' Ino pressed, curiosity getting the better of her, but this time Sakura didn't silence her, looking just as curious.

'Just… Promise not to laugh, kay?' Luna whispered, moving her hands into the familiar henge release hand sign that most of them recognised instantly. With a short burst of chakra, the disguise was lifted, and her ears twitched freely atop her head while her tail curled around her body as if to protect herself.

After a moment of collective staring, everyone burst into life, grinning and all looking equally as amazed. Questions were fired from all angles, and Luna could feel herself shrinking in on herself.

'Guys, give her a chance to answer!' Kiba barked, sensing her unease. She threw him a thankful smile, before beginning to answer the first question she'd heard, one from Naruto.

'Yes, they're real… I was born like this, all of my family are.'

'That's really cool!'

'Yeah, that's awesome!'

'Do you have extra hearing or something with them?'

Luna turned to the owner of the next question, Sakura. She didn't seem as surprised as the others, and Luna figured the medic nin had probably read something about her clan's appearance during her previous research. 'Not like this, but my eyesight is much better than usual in the dark.'

'What do you mean by, 'not like this'?' Shikamaru was smart, damn him. And damn her, for being so careless with her wording. She wasn't sure she wanted to reveal her alternative body form to the Leaf ninja just yet.

Panicking slightly, she turned to the only other person who might understand what she was trying to keep hidden.

Kiba caught on straight away, clearing his throat loudly. 'Don't overwhelm her, guys. Princess here is kind of touchy about certain things.'

She scoffed at the nickname, starting to regret having to signal him for help. 'Well you know _all_ about how not to offend someone, don't you, _mongrel_?'

'Mongrel?' Apparently Shikamaru wasn't the only attentive group member. She'd almost forgotten about Choji, who had been sitting adjacent to her noisily munching on his bag of chips.

'Er…' She wasn't actually sure what his question was.

'Kiba's a human, why call him a mongrel?' He seemed genuinely confused, and Luna had to throw him a bone. Pun intended.

'Well, because…'

'Because she thinks she's all high and mighty, being part wolf and all.' The dog trainer supplied, smirking when she spluttered angrily at his response.

'I do not! It's just a fact. Dogs are descended from wolves, so they're all crossbred! Wolves are of the purest bloodlines, there would be no dogs without their ancestors!' She turned back to Choji then. 'Kiba's clan is associated with canine partners and summons and my family come from Lupine bloodlines, so that's why.'

'But then…' Naruto started, but paused to rub his chin thoughtfully. 'What I don't get is, if you're only part wolf, doesn't that technically make you a mongrel too?'

'…'

'…'

Kiba was the first to break into exaggerated howling laughter as Luna's bottom lip hit the floor. Sakura took a moment to send Naruto flailing into a nearby tree with her fist, but soon followed the Inuzuka into laughter. Pretty soon, even Luna couldn't hold back the giggles at the statement. It just seemed so obvious when put in such blunt terms, and she didn't know how no one had ever thought of it before.

The she-wolf laughed more that night than she could ever remember, not once finding the time to be truly offended. And, she realised, she didn't want to be. There was no need for the tension of her walls squeezing her as they normally did, for one she just felt free. All because of one idiot comment from one idiot ninja.

Naruto really was an unpredictable knucklehead.

The camping trip had been a massive success, in Kiba's opinion. He was tempted to let it slip that it was, in fact, him who had planted the idea in Rock Lee's over-excitable and easily influenced brain. The dog trainer had to grin at his cleverness. Slyly dropping into a conversation with the green spangled ninja that it had been a while since everyone had really got together, and how nice the weather had been recently for camping out.

Even Luna appeared to enjoy herself, which was a huge step for the she-wolf, and Kiba couldn't be prouder. It almost felt like a personal achievement, coaxing her ever-so-slowly and gradually out of her shell and encouraging her to let her guard down around them. To say he was enjoying the experience would be an over-statement, but there was no denying that immense feeling of satisfaction with each tiny amount of progress she displayed.

His initial goal was to integrate the hybrid girl with his squad teammates. Luna had become close with Hinata almost immediately while Shino had taken some work, but he'd expected nothing less. The Aburame wasn't one of the easiest ninja to get along with, but lately, Luna seemed to be favouring his company more and more, which thrilled Kiba more than he let on. His team were like a second family to him, and the Inu nin wanted nothing more than for her to relax in their company as he did.

He wasn't sure why he was so eager for her to fit so comfortably into his world, but he suspected it had something to do with responsibility. It was just as his mother was constantly trying to enforce on him. If he was to be the next Alpha of the Inuzuka clan, he needed to get his priorities straight, and what better a priority than ensuing peace among his second family? Yes, that was definitely it. It was his responsibility to make sure she felt at home here, since, he _was_ the one who brought her here in the first place.

Beside him, Akamaru shifted in his sleep to rest his head on Kiba's lap. The pair were settled on Kiba's bed, with Akamaru falling to sleep pretty much the moment his head hit the sheets. But Kiba was restless, not finding sleep as easily as his partner. He was sat with his back leaning against the headboard, while his legs stretched out in front of him.

The Inu nin was used to his canine's behaviour. He knew what to expect, and how to react accordingly. He had to smile as he remembered when his mother had first introduced him to the giant canine, she had been firm in laying down ground rules. Number one: Akamaru was by no means allowed in the bedroom, he would sleep in the kennels at the back of the main building with Kuromaru and the Haimaru triplets. That clearly hadn't lasted long.

Number two was even harder to maintain: No feeding scraps to the dogs at the table. Like number one, that lasted all of about two days. The little white fluffball was just too adorable to say no to, and pretty soon, even Hana and Tsume couldn't resist treating Akamaru's perfected puppy-dog-eyes.

Lastly, number three: Absolutely no dogs are allowed on Tsume's couch. This was the only rule to remain in place after all these years. Heck, Kiba wasn't even sure _he_ was allowed to sit on that blasted piece of furniture that his mother was so protective of. Not that he wanted to, it was old and worn now, and reminded him of someone long dead to him. Someone his family rarely mentioned. His father.

He rubbed the large dog affectionately behind the ears to distract himself, smirking as Akamaru gave a satisfied whine in his slumber. Yes, it was true that Kiba had been around members of the canine family for as long as he could remember.

A wolf, on the other hand, was no ordinary dog. Sure, there were similarities, but he could never let Luna hear him say that. She'd bite his head off… Literally.

It didn't help that she was half human and entirely female, which only made her a million times more difficult to read. The she-wolf's emotions bounced from one end of the scale to the other in seconds, barely giving the Inu nin a chance to gage her current mood before she was ranting about how he'd looked at her the wrong way or something. What's more, her temper only seemed to flare so drastically whenever she was around him – that couldn't be a coincidence, surely? Kiba wasn't sure whether to take this as a compliment or an insult. A compliment because, it could be her way of showing that she felt comfortable enough around him to allow her emotions to run freely. Alternatively, it could be insulting simply because he might just get on her nerves a lot.

He just couldn't win.

Akamaru snorted suddenly in his sleep, rolling onto his back and flailing his legs before stilling completely. Kiba was just starting to think he'd relaxed again, when his eyes shot open wildly, pouncing forward with his long droopy ears pricked up slightly.

'What is it, boy?' The Inu questioned, but his canine didn't appear to hear him. Frowning, Kiba focused chakra to his own ears, concentrating on outside noises. Crickets. Wind. An owl? Nothing out of the ordinary.

'Akamaru, what's wrong?' Kiba raised his voice this time, sliding off the bed and crouching in front of the giant dogs face. His eyes seemed unfocused, staring right through his master blankly as his ears twitched meticulously.

'Mom?' Kiba called, his onyx eyes never leaving his companion's. 'Mom! I think somethings wrong with Akamaru!'

Even though it was gone midnight, the door to his room slid open, revealing a more dishevelled than usual Tsume.

'It's not just Akamaru, son. Kuromaru's the same way.'

'What?' Kiba's eyes widened as his gaze snapped to his mothers. Her expression was serious, which automatically made him nervous.

'I've seen this once before in ninken. I was on a mission in the Land of Sound with your sister, when all of a sudden the dogs stopped dead in their tracks, seemingly unresponsive.' She paused as she leaned back in the doorway to glance down the hall for a minute, as though waiting for something. Kiba was about to question her until footsteps sounded and Hana arrived on scene.

'It's happening again, isn't it, Ma?' The veterinarian asked, cursing when their mother nodded her confirmation. 'But how? We should be out of range here in the village!'

'Out of range from what? What's happening to Akamaru?' Kiba growled, frustrated that he was still in the dark on the situation.

'If it's what we experienced back in the Land of Sound, there's a chance the dogs are reacting to a noise that we, as humans, cannot hear. On our mission it only lasted a few moments, but it was long enough…'

'Long enough for what?' He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Tsume threw a quick glance to Hana, who winced in response. 'Long enough for the enemy to make its move, taking out three of the ninken we had on our squad in one foul swoop.'

Unable to contain the gasp that escaped his lips, Kiba's eyes fell back on his partner's paralysed state. _No way…_

'So how do we stop it? What do we do?' He ground out, keeping his gaze fixed determinedly on Akamaru.

'…We can't. All we can do is wait.' Hana supplied, direly.

'Are you kidding me? You're saying I'm just supposed to–'

His exclamation was cut off suddenly when something wet nudged his shoulder. All three Inuzuka's attentions snapped to the large white dog, who was watching them confusedly, his tongue lolling out casually.

'Akamaru?' Kiba murmured, holding his breath. Akamaru tilted his head innocently, woofing in reply.

'He's back.' Tsume commented, eyebrows pulling together. 'Hana. Go check on the puppies and the Haimaru triplets.'

The veterinarian nodded and hurried back down the hall.

'Keep an eye on him for the time being, Kiba. I'm going to find Kuromaru and make sure the others are safe.' His mother disappeared before he could even protest.

'Come on, Akamaru. We're going to check it out too.' His canine companion barked in agreement, allowing Kiba to clamber onto his back as they leapt through the open window into the night.

The compound seemed quiet, eerily so. It was too late for there to be any ninja still out at this time, all except one.

Luna met him in the centre of the estate courtyard, confusion etched on her features. 'Kiba! What's going on?'

'I'm not sure, but you should probably go wait inside… Is your arm giving you trouble?' He asked, noting the way she was clutching her injured arm as though in pain.

'Huh? Oh, it just aches a little sometimes. I'm fine. But what happened?' Her ears flickered uncertainly, and the Inu nin had to frown.

'Wait, did you hear something?'

'Hear something? No? Should I have?' The confusion on her face grew stronger, rubbing her arm softly. As she did so, Kiba noticed something else unusual.

'Hey, your bandage…'

The she-wolf dropped her gaze to her injury. The material strips had loosened and torn, slightly revealing the ugly red marks that marred her skin. 'Oh. I guess it must've come loose while I've been rubbing it. It's a bad habit I've taken to.'

'Well, you should get inside, we think there's been a possible breach in security somewhere in the village.' He told her. It wasn't a lie, he just didn't want to worry her unnecessarily unless he had to.

'A-alright. Be careful, then.' Kiba wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she actually did as he asked, or that she expressed her concern for him, albeit half-hearted concern. But as she walked away towards the main building, there was something else bothering him.

Akamaru whined softly, throwing his head back to look his master in the eye.

'You smell that too, boy?'

'She smelled like sweat… and blood.' Akamaru's voice rumbled deeply in his throat, waiting patiently for Kiba to translate his growl.

'Yeah. But I don't think it was only _her_ blood I could smell…'

'Me neither.' His companion agreed, sensing Kiba's unease. 'Should we question her?'

Kiba thought for a moment, biting his lip. Surely there was a reasonable explanation for that. Perhaps she had been training, and had found someone willing to spar with her? Sure it was late at night, but it wasn't unheard of for ninja to practise out of hours. Or maybe she had been hunting? There was plenty of prey animals in the forests surrounding his home, and she was a wolf after all. But then, if Luna had been in her wolf form, she would have heard whatever the dogs were hearing?

He pictured her face when he'd asked if she'd heard something. She had looked confused. It _seemed_ genuine. Was she lying to him?

Finally, he let out a long breath. 'No, let's leave her be for now. Come on, let's go make sure everyone else is okay.'

'Right!'

* * *

 **A/N:** So we finally get a bit of Kiba's insight to the situation, and now it looks like there's a new problem on the horizon! Anyone hazard any guesses?

Also, I kept Neji alive, because I'll never forgive Kishimoto for killing him off. Sue me.

I hope you guys are as excited about this fic as I am! Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think :)


	6. The Hunter and the Hunted

**A/N:** I've been waiting to release this chapter for so long now! Let me know what you all think, your opinions are really important to me, and inspire me to keep writing. Love to you all.

Still disclaiming Naruto and its characters.

* * *

 **The Hunter and the Hunted**

Luna let out a long sigh as she stared up at the ceiling in her room. Her arm really was giving her more trouble than usual, the loose bandage proving to be a somewhat entertaining distraction as she plucked the shredded material.

Last night had been strange. Her memories seemed almost fuzzy as she thought back to how she'd sat tiredly upon the Inu hill. She also found it odd that her jaw felt vaguely stiff, though she didn't recall doing any howling that night. As far as she could remember, she really hadn't heard anything as Kiba had asked her.

Her ears perked up suddenly at the sound of a slamming door, and three hushed voices speaking in whispers as they filed into the living room, which just so happened to be two walls away from her bedroom. She sat upright and strained to make out what they were saying, but failed.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she slid off the end of her bed and tiptoed into the hallway, pausing outside the lounge to listen in to their conversation.

'It's just so unlike them, I can't believe for one second they would attack each other like that.' The first voice growled, sounding very much like Hana. Three concern canine whimpers near where her voice came from confirmed that it was the veterinarian, along with her three faithful ninken.

'Well what other explanation is there? The blood that covered them was all their own, and there were no witnesses as far as we know.' That unmistakable gravel-like tone was definitely Tsume.

'But Ma, those dogs are barely out of litter training, there's no way they could inflict such serious damage on each other.' Kiba was the third voice in the room, sounding as determined as his sister.

Unable to hide her gasp, Luna slid open the door to the lounge area. 'W-wait, there's been an attack?'

Three sets of human eyes and five canine ones widened at her appearance in the doorway. She gulped loudly, swallowing her pride as she dipped her head in a slight apology for eavesdropping.

'I'm sorry for listening in but… Are they alright?'

'They're in recovery.' Tsume sighed, running a hand through her unruly brown hair. 'Conscious, but none of the ninken seem to be able to recall the events. It would appear that the unidentified noise that only the dogs could hear beforehand caused more than just their lack of response.'

'A noise?' She frowned and looked at the ground, feeling uncomfortable and out of place.

'You didn't hear anything did you?' Hana questioned, sounding hopeful.

Luna shook her heard regretfully. 'I didn't, my hearing's only enhanced when I'm in my wolf form…' She trailed off when her eyes met the intense stare of Kiba Inuzuka. The way his onyx eyes had zeroed in on her expression was making her feel terribly self-conscious. _Is there something on my face?_

Mistaking her discomfort for feeling helpless, Hana offered her a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry about it then, there's nothing you could have done. Try and get some rest, alright?'

She nodded solemnly, backing out of the lounge area and heading for her own room, Kiba's estranged expression haunting her mind. _Was it something I said?_

She reached out for the handle of the shoji door that currently separated her from the safety of her room, but a hand suddenly appeared on her wrist, halting her actions.

Her head snapped up in surprise, ears flattening out of habit. 'K-Kiba?'

'Can I talk to you for a sec?' His voice held a seriousness she didn't know he possessed.

'Uh... Sure.' She nodded hesitantly and allowed him to lead her back down the hall. She was surprised when they bypassed the living room entirely, trailing after him nervously as they exited the main building. 'Where are we going?'

Kiba replied without turning, keeping his voice flat and lucid. 'Just somewhere we can talk.'

'Oh.' She bit her lip, feeling the need to lighten the quickly plummeting mood. 'You aren't breaking up with me, are you?'

She waited for him to throw her a crazy grin over his shoulder, or laugh and tell her she was daft. But he didn't, he just kept walking solemnly as though leading her to death row.

He finally stopped when they reached the shallow hill that overlooked the Leaf village in the Inuzuka compound. She shivered as the breeze picked up slightly, ruffling her silvery hair and blowing it gently in Kiba's direction. His shoulders tensed slightly as her scent reached his nose, a quick flash of déjà vu hitting the pair before he forced himself to relax again. This was no time to be getting caught up in the overpowering aroma of pine forests and grass.

He turned to face her fully, agonisingly slowly. His ebony irises moved to rest on Luna's scarlet orbs, which were narrowed and mistrusting. His brow twitched, disappointed in himself for being the reason behind her worry, but he needed to know the truth. He could sense the tension rolling off her in waves, fists clenched tightly by her sides, as though preparing for the fight of her life.

Kiba dropped her gaze, softening his expression and slumping to the ground, patting a patch of grass beside him. She complied reluctantly, watching him anxiously from the corner of her eye as she stared out over the village.

'So, what did you wanna talk about?' She questioned, her words quiet and surprisingly calm.

 _Guess there's no point beating around the bush now_. 'Where were you last night?'

She tilted her head to look at him curiously. 'I was here… Like I always am. Why?'

'I was just wondering if you might have seen something, if you didn't hear anything.'

'Don't you think I'd have mentioned it if I had?' She snapped, patience waning.

'…I hope you would have.' He murmured cryptically, and Kiba didn't miss the way her nose scrunched lightly in distaste at the obvious insinuation.

'What's that supposed to mean?' She growled lowly, fighting back the urge to all out roar at him.

He let out a short sigh. He was in too deep now to take back his words. 'It means, I think there's something you're not telling me.'

For once, she faltered in her response. It was barely a second, but it was all the confirmation he needed. 'It's none of your business, mongrel. I was out here, and that's all I know.'

'That's all you know?' Kiba's eyes flickered to meet hers, confused by her strange phrasing. 'What exactly happened last night?'

'I just mean that's all there is to tell. It's nothing, Kiba. Drop it.'

'No, because you're hiding something!'

'I'm not! If I knew something I'd tell you!'

'So there is something, but you don't know it?'

'How does that even make sense?'

'You tell me!'

'I DON'T REMEMBER, OKAY?' She snarled, leaping up from the ground. Her ears flattened against her hair and the wolf's tail she possessed curled between her legs slightly, clearly feeling threatened, but the Inuzuka remained still. 'I blacked out. I-I don't remember what happened, but I didn't attack those ninken. I didn't… I _wouldn't_ …' Her voice faded into nothing more than a whisper and her arms wrapped around her chest. Who was she kidding, she had no idea what happened last night after she blacked out. For all she knew, she _was_ the one behind the ninken attacks. But why would she do that, seemingly unprovoked?

 _Wait a minute…_

'Hold on, you said there was a noise that only the dogs could hear, right?'

Kiba nodded, his mouth set in a thin line that made his expression impossible to decipher.

'A noise… that only _dogs_ can hear?' She mumbled, tucking one hand into her pocket and pulling out a small object. 'I wonder…'

'What is it?'

When she didn't reply, instead choosing to continue her own incoherent mumblings to herself, he repeated his question louder. Luna, who had begun pacing slightly, paused to look him briefly in the eye. Though the notion would normally be viewed as menacing or a dominance challenge, this time it seemed almost like a plea for help. But he couldn't help her if she didn't let him in on the secret.

'Luna.' He stood up slowly, moving to stand before her and folding one hand over hers, the one that clutched the unidentified object. She flinched lightly at the contact, but allowed him to lift her hand and turn it over, her fingers unravelling to reveal the broken whistle that Lady Tsunade had granted her permission to keep.

He raised an eyebrow at the item, before flicking his gaze back to hers. The red irises that met him suddenly seemed so expressive, Kiba almost let out a gasp. She looked so hurt and confused, that he instantly regretted ever even thinking that she could be involved with those attacks. At least, not to her knowledge.

'Tell me what you're thinking.' He commanded softly, fighting a blush as he became painfully aware that he was still cupping her upturned hand. And that she was letting him.

Luna swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry. 'It's just an old wolf's tale. A story the elders used to tell us to scare the pups, that's all.'

'Tell me.'

'…Alright.'

Kiba pulled her back down onto the grass, sitting cross-legged as she pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them. Dressed only in a dark red T-shirt and black ninja pants, she shuddered again in the breeze and hugged her legs closer to her chest.

'There was a story… more like a legend actually, that the village elders used to tell to us as youngsters. The Legend of Hihanta.' She was about to continue, but hesitated in confusion when Kiba started to remove his jacket. 'What are you–'

The jacket was slumped over her knees before she could finish her question. She blinked in surprise, and he threw her a lopsided smile.

'I have a feeling we're gonna be out here for a while, and you're cold, right?'

'B-but…' Another, stronger breeze rattled through her body and she subconsciously clutched the sleeves of his coat tighter around her legs. 'Aren't you cold?'

He shrugged. 'I've been colder.'

She looked unsure for a moment, but a few more words of encouragement were all it took for her to selfishly accept the gesture.

'Thank you.' She smiled, a genuinely thankful smile.

'Don't mention it.' He grinned back. 'So, Hihanta, hm?'

'Right. Centuries ago, there were two tribes who lived in close proximity together. The first was the Hangetsu clan, the wolf human hybrids. The second was the Hitaiyo clan. A human family of animal tamers. My clan has always been nocturnal, while the Hitaiyo clan were diurnal.'

'Diurnal?' Kiba frowned, confused by the strange term.

'The opposite of nocturnal. Day-dwellers, if you like. It's not a very common word, but that's what they were called in the story.' After a nod from the Inuzuka, she continued. 'For a long time, they lived in harmony, sharing the land with each respective time zone. They very rarely encountered one another with their opposing sleeping habits, so it was all very convenient. Then one night, just as the wolves were rising, a single stray child, Baron, of the Hitaiyo clan, was found wandering the forest by the current Hangestu Alpha's son, Malakai. The young hybrid was suspicious of the boy at first, but the pair soon became friends. Every evening, just before the sun was fully set, Malakai would awaken and run to the edge of his territory to meet Baron, and they would play until the rest of the wolves had awoken.

'However one night, Baron brought a friend with him. His friend, Delta, was not nearly as accepting as Baron was, claiming the boy was betraying the Hitaiyo clan by associating with such an abomination. Malakai was enraged by this human's complete lack of respect for the wolf pack, ordering him to leave and never return, turning his back on both Delta and his friend.'

'So what does this have to do with the ninken attacks, and the whistle?' Kiba asked, though he was clearly enthralled by the tale from the way he leaned forward eagerly.

'Hush, I'm getting there.' Luna scolded, flicking him on the nose before he leaned in too close for comfort. He scrunched his nose several times but chose not to comment further, allowing her to continue.

'After that night, Malakai felt the deep cut of betrayal. Over the next few years, that feeling of betrayal festered and grew increasingly bitter over the loss of Baron's friendship. Four years later, one icy winter's evening, they met again. Baron was on a late night border patrol at the edge of his village's territory, while Malakai had risen early to impress his father with the first hunt of the night. The pair locked eyes from across a clearing, Baron with his sharpened spear, Malakai with his fangs bared and claws brandished.

'Their battle was inevitable. See, Malakai had held such hatred for his human friend for so long, that the wolf inside him began to use his pain in order to overwhelm him. He blacked out in lupine form, returning to his father several hours later empty handed and covered in blood. The Hitaiyo clan only found Baron's body several weeks later when the snow had cleared, but the cause of death was undeniably obvious. They stormed the Hangetsu village, demanding justice for their member's death and seeking the head of his killer. Obviously, the wolves refused to hand over their soon-to-be Alpha, so the humans left, with unquenched hunger for revenge. Thus, Hihanta was born.'

'But, what is the Hihanta?' The Inuzuka pressed, eyes wide and fascinated like a child listening to a fairy-tale for the first time.

'Hihanta is an ideal. It translates to 'Day Hunter', with his sole purpose being to seek revenge on the clan who unjustly murdered the son of their ancestors. The legend states it's one man, but there were whisperings of the title being handed down through selected generations over the years.'

'Selected? By who?'

'They call them the Diurnal Council. The last remaining blood relatives of the Hitaiyo clan, honouring the final wishes of their ancestors.'

'Which was?'

'…To eliminate the Hangetsu clan, down to the last living wolf on this planet.'

The wind chose this moment to pick up and howl through the trees on either side of the hill, like a discontented ghost and sending chills down their spines.

Luna laughed the shiver off nervously, curling her tail around her legs. 'But like I said, it's just an old wolf's tale. Nothing more than a child's horror story.' She cleared her throat and mimicked one of the elders from her village. 'If you kids don't go to bed before the sun rises, Hihanta will come and seek you out!'

Kiba chuckled at her impression, but there was still something he didn't understand. 'But what I don't get is, why would that relate to the ninken?'

'Well, there's an extended version to the legend, in which Hihanta uses an instrument that can create sounds that only a wolf – or a dog – would be able to hear. The frequency is so high that it has the power to temporarily control or paralyse a canine against its will, and without its knowledge. The whistle reminded me, and you said the dogs acted strangely as though hearing something you couldn't.'

'So that could be why the dogs were unresponsive, because they were paralysed?'

'Yeah but, like I said, Hihanta is just a legend. It's not real… At least, as far as I know it isn't.'

'Then why bring it up?' The Inu nin tilted his head, searching her expression for any hint of deception. There was none.

'Because if someone else knew of the story, they could use it as inspiration to create such an object, and control them the way the Hihanta does.'

'That actually makes sense… Alright, come on!' Kiba leapt to his feet in a sudden burst of energy, making her flinch at the action.

'Where are we going now?' Luna grumbled, clambering to her feet grudgingly and refusing to release his jacket, not that he asked for it back.

'You're going to tell my ma everything you just told me. Maybe she can find something on that 'old wolf's tale'.' He grinned and tugged on her wrist, leading her back towards the main building of the Inuzuka estate.

'I see. That's very interesting.' Tsume rubbed her chin with a thumb and forefinger thoughtfully when Luna finished her tale for the second time that night. She had to hide her amusement as Kiba had sat listening intently once again as though being told it for the very first time. 'And you, too, remember nothing of the noise or the attack?'

Luna shook her head, no. 'All I remember is sitting on the hill at the back of the compound, and the next thing I was making my way back towards the main house.'

'Hmm. Perhaps you should stay closer to home for the next few nights, it's probably not safe for you to be left alone.' The Inuzuka Alpha suggested, and Luna tried not to take the comment the wrong way. She knew Tsume was only saying that for the concern of her own wellbeing, but still, there was the unspoken question lingering if whether or not Luna would be capable of such an attack. None of them wanted to consider that just yet.

She was about to excuse herself, when Tsume's tone took on a very solemn manner. 'Luna. I know this is probably not something you wish to discuss, but do you think it is possible that your family could have been controlled in the same way?'

The sharp intake of breath that followed slipped from Kiba's lips, rather than the she-wolfs. In fact, Luna seemed almost ashamed.

'The thought did cross my mind, actually…'

'You said yourself the Hitaiyo family wanted the elimination of your clan, so it seems appropriate to me that we assume this Hihanta was involved with–'

'No!' The hybrid shook her head furiously. 'Hihanta _isn't_ _real_! He's just a legend. Nothing more.'

'Why are you so sure of that?' Tsume tilted her head, curiosity piqued by the girl's sudden certainty.

'I just am. He can't be real. He's just a legend.' She repeated fruitlessly, clenching her fists as she stared at the floor.

The Inuzuka Alpha seemed unconvinced, but dropped the topic. 'Very well. Get some rest, I'll need to report this to the Hokage in the morning.'

'O-okay.' Luna's feet obeyed without influence, carrying her listlessly down the hall and into her room. Once she was sure the door was firmly shut and she had not been followed, she let the tears fall.

In all honesty, Luna _wasn't_ sure that Hihanta was just a legend. She just didn't want to consider the notion that her family had been murdered for something that happened over three hundred years ago. Something that they themselves had absolutely no connection to, other than the blood that flowed through their veins, and that was not something they could control. It was too cruel, so she refused to believe it.

She realised with dismay that sleep was not going to come easy to her tonight, but for an entirely different reason to her usual sleeping habits. Even so, she closed her eyes tight and snuggled beneath the comforter the Inuzuka's had provided. The warmth and security the duvet offered gave her some mild relief from the niggling urge to howl at the moon, but she dared not transform again. Not until this was cleared up.

If the Hiha– no, if the _person_ who was controlling the dogs could control Luna in her wolf form too, then she would not give him the opportunity. Wolves were a proud race, and to allow such a cowardly creature to control her from the depths of the shadows he hid in was unacceptable. No, she would not dance to his flute.

Luna Hangetsu was a wolf, and she would endure.

'Shit, not again!' Kiba growled, waving a hand back and forth in front of his giant dog's face. He tutted when he only received the same blank stare as previously, trying not to let his frustration rise. Losing his temper would serve to help no one.

'Kiba, stay with the dogs, I'm going to do a quick perimeter scan, see if I can find anything.' Tsume barked, earning a quick nod from her son.

They'd been heading back from the Hokage office after a long serious talk with Tsunade. Geez, that woman could be as scary as his mother when she wanted to be. Needless to say, she was less than pleased at the idea of someone being able to infiltrate their village without actually stepping foot inside. Tsume had assured her that so far, they were pretty sure there had been no breach in security, which had calmed the older woman slightly.

That didn't mean there wasn't a threat to the Leaf though. And that was a serious issue that required attention immediately. Tsume had agreed to keep a close eye on the ninken, while Kiba was charged with their only lupine resident. He'd groaned at first and tried to get out of it, knowing she'd hate having him tail her like some lowly criminal, but the Hokage had been insistent.

He sighed as he rubbed a hand in small circles behind Akamaru's ear, something the canine normally enjoyed thoroughly. He hoped his partner's conscious was still aware inside him somewhere, even if he didn't show any sign of it.

Lifting his nose in the air, the Inu nin inhaled deeply, surprised to find his charge's scent wafting much closer than he'd expected. Eyebrows pulling together in confusion, his onyx irises scanned the surrounding area. They were almost at the Inuzuka estate when the dogs had frozen in place in a similar manner to last time, so he supposed it wasn't too unusual that Luna would be nearby.

But when she came into sight, it wasn't her usual hybrid form Kiba's eyes landed on, but a silver, thick-coated female wolf. _Oh, shit._

Her movements were strangely fluid, despite the fact that her paw shouldn't be completely healed yet. The smoothness to her gait instantly had him on edge. Something definitely wasn't right.

Kiba glanced from Akamaru, to Kuromaru, to Luna. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, he made his decision. The ninken would be fine in the middle of the village like this, surely. And his mother would be back soon to care for them. He'd just have to deal with her wrath later. After all, he was only obeying his Hokage's orders to keep an eye on Luna.

Dropping into a crouch, he slipped into the shadows, careful to keep his body upwind from her sense of smell.

She continued along the gravelly path until her feet hit soil, carrying her silently into a dense woodland trail. Kiba knew this pathway all too well, having lived beside it for his entire life. It eventually led to a side entrance of the village that not many outside his clan knew of.

 _Is she trying to leave the village?_

He followed her for another few minutes, before he realised he had absolutely no plan whatsoever. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek as he debated his options. On the one hand, he could try to get through to her before the situation got out of hand. On the other, he could run back to the compound for backup, follow her scent back here and forcibly stop her. Problem was, he wasn't sure how much time he had, or if she really was trying to leave the village. Maybe she was just sleep walking?

 _Only one way to find out._

'Luna?'

She froze mid-step, hackles raising slightly at the sound of her name as he stepped out from behind a tree. Even from the way her face was angled away from him, Kiba could tell her fangs were now bared.

'Just take it easy, alright? You're not yourself right now…' He held his arms up in front of him, palms forward as he inched toward the tense creature. The Inu nin reached out a hand tenderly, intending to simply place it on her back reassuringly, but just as his hand began to lower, she turned on him.

Her teeth snapped shut millimetres from his fingers, snarling when he backed up two steps with a yelp. Her crimson eyes seemed to glow in the low evening light and, despite appearing threatening, Kiba struggled to feel as though he were in real danger. This wasn't any ordinary wild animal. This was his friend!

'Luna, come on. You know me. You can trust me…' His soothing voice came out a mere whisper on the breeze, but her ears flickered in response. She seemed to ponder his words momentarily, jaw relaxing ever-so-slightly.

'That's it. It's Kiba. It's me…'

Luna took a cautious step toward him. Though she kept her fangs on show, her head lowered an inch, considering submission. Her red eyes softened as she closed the gap between his open palm and her muzzle, nudging it gently with her wet nose.

Kiba let out a breath, but before he could figure out his next move, the she-wolf growled suddenly. It wasn't an angry growl, and it certainly didn't appear to be directed at him.

Throwing a paw over her snout, she thrashed the side of her head to the ground almost desperately. Kiba flinched backwards, startled by the unexpected action. The wolf rolled half onto her side while her back legs remained standing, claws planting themselves into the dirt. It was as though she were fighting herself, or something inside her.

Movement from the shadows flickered in the corner of Kiba's eye line, and he spun around quickly in the direction it had been. But, other than a few stray leaves whipping around in the wind, the woodland was empty. Keeping half of his attention on the struggling lupine behind him, he pushed chakra to his nose and focused on the surrounding smells.

At first, he smelled only the forest, himself and the she-wolf. Several sniffs later, he was about to turn back to Luna when a fresh scent filled his nasal passage, if only for a second. It was close by and human, and though Kiba couldn't quite place the smell, something about it seemed vaguely familiar, as though he'd smelled it once before.

'I think we should–' His words were cut off when something heavy and furry leapt at him, claws digging into his shoulders roughly as it pinned him to the ground. 'L-Luna!' He gasped, slightly winded at the force she had knocked him down.

But there was no longer any recognition behind those scarlet irises, only blinded anger. A deep growl rumbled in her throat as she opened her jaws, leaning her full weight on the prey beneath her paws. _This is bad…_

In a heartbeat, she had flung her head back with such force he wondered how it didn't snap. The howl pierced the night and made his ears ring. It was deafening. Biting down hard on his lip, he wracked his brain for a new plan.

 _Okay, so talking to her isn't working anymore, clearly. And from the sound of it, this is the final call before she seals the deal and finishes me off… Think, Kiba. Think, damn it!_

Her howl finished all too quickly, head rolling back down until she was staring so absently that she may as well have been looking straight through him. In a last ditch attempt as pulling her conscious back to the surface, the Inu nin did the one thing he never dreamed he'd ever be forced to do. He tipped his chin back, and exposed his neck to her.

He was unable to stop himself from squeezing his eyes shut tightly. His fists tensed so fiercely that his entire body shook, his breathing hitched in his lungs so intensely it burned, and Kiba was sure the rest of the Leaf village could hear his heart pounding.

For a moment, he thought she was going to ignore the gesture and kill him anyway. But when a few more moments passed without his gullet being ripped from his throat, he braved a quick peek at his assailant. The weight lifted from him the second his black eyes met red, and he had to hold back the sudden wheeze his aching lungs demanded.

By the time he sat up, Luna was backing away into the treeline, very human hands clamped over her very human mouth in horror.

'Luna… W-wait!' Kiba called out to her as she fled, but it was futile. The look on her face had said it all. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened there, whether she remembered or not, and if he knew her at all, he knew she'd be far beyond reassuring words of 'it wasn't your fault'.

And it wasn't. Of that, he was sure. She'd snapped herself out of whatever control her wolf form had been under twice, even if the second time was cutting it a bit fine for his liking. But she had stopped, and that's what mattered.

Lifting his nose to the sky, he tried to locate the unidentified scent he's caught a whiff of so briefly before, to no avail. Whoever it was, they were clever, and Kiba realised it would take a lot more than following an initial scent trail to track them down. He'd need help, and he needed to report back to his mother. No doubt, Luna's howling had reached their ears too, though maybe not a vibrantly as he'd had the pleasure of.

'Damn.' He muttered, clutching his head. The Inuzuka hadn't realised just how _loud_ a wolf could be. Scrabbling weakly to his feet, he waited a moment until the spinning subsided before trudging toward his family estate. Kiba was fairly certain he knew where Luna would be, and he was completely certain she wouldn't be returning any time soon, so he had time.

First things first, they needed to find the one in control, and that was not going to be easy.

* * *

 **A/N:** It's kind of fun turning Luna evil, maybe I'll make a habit of it… :P

Drop me a review if you can, I love hearing your thoughts and guesses long the way!


	7. The Free and the Constrained

**A/N:** So I was thinking, for those who are up to date with the manga/anime, I'm well aware that Tsunade would have stepped down from her position by now, since this is set four years after the fourth great ninja war), but for the sake of plot (and because I completely forgot when I started writing this) she's still Hokage.

Maybe I'll make a thing of it at some point in this fic, or maybe not.

Still a disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

* * *

 **The Free and the Constrained**

By the time Kiba had finished relaying his findings to his mother and the clan council, the entire Inuzuka compound were in an uproar. There was a clear divide between the estate, with half in favour of protecting Luna – who they had decided was the assailant's main target – and the other half wanting her head. Tsume, thankfully, was on the side that favoured the she-wolf, and for now that's all that really mattered. At the end of the day, she was the clan alpha, and her word was the law.

Still, to say it bothered Kiba that almost half of his family would immediately jump on the opposing bandwagon would be an understatement. Their narrow-minded and opinionated views equally irritated and disappointed him, which he had been sure to convey in his hateful scowls at each and every one of them. They'd soon piped down – it was practically suicide to continue to piss off both the current and future alpha in one go.

Tsume slammed both palms onto an already abused-looking desk to shut the crowd up, only speaking when the council room had finally fallen into a tense silence. 'Now, listen here, you insolent pack of mongrels…'

Kiba held back a snicker at her insult, figuring Luna would appreciate that more than the others.

'Luna Hangetsu is under the protection not only of the Inuzuka clan, but also the Hokage herself. We are Leaf ninja, and we are strong, fierce, independent and loyal. Whoever this intruder is, he clearly wants her blood, and we will not sink to his level, no matter the circumstances!' They had taken to referring to the stranger as a 'he', since in the Legend Luna had told them of, the Hihanta was a male. Despite not actually having confirmed the trespasser's identity, it seemed fitting for the time being.

'But Lady Tsume! She's dangerous, whether it is her will or otherwise, she can no longer be trusted.' One lower ranked ninja pointed out, voice remaining calm and steady despite appearing absolutely terrified by her leader.

'Which is exactly why we have called such a meeting. I'm open to suggestions.' Kiba's mother dropped heavily into the seat behind the desk, folding her arms and leaning forward with her feral-looking eyes sharp, as though daring anyone to actually speak. She smirked smugly when no one did. 'The Hokage herself will be attending shortly. She has been informed of the situation, and I'm sure the Leaf village elders will have some _wonderful_ ideas on how to handle the circumstances.'

The clan began to murmur in distaste at the mention of the elder's attendance. It was a well-known fact that the pair of old bats, who sat all high and mighty in the shadow of the Hokage, were utterly old-fashioned and completely intolerable in their manner. Kiba noticed the subtle eye-roll from Tsume as she stressed the adjective for their ideas, and had to hold back a grimace. While their motives never ventured far from the ultimate good of the Leaf village, their personal opinions often managed to cloud their judgement.

The Inuzuka heir held back the urge to pace. The whole situation unnerved him more than he cared to admit, and although his canine companion was waiting patiently right outside, he was uncomfortable being here without Akamaru. The dogs had been fine, and his mother had barely had the chance to scold him when he had charged into the Inu compound gasping for breath and covered in dirt. Tsume had called the council meeting mere minutes later, with the help of Hana and the Haimaru brothers.

Kiba shuffled closer to his sister, who had been suspiciously silent so far throughout the clan meeting. He was eager to hear her opinion on the matter. 'Hana?'

'Hm?' Though her eyes remained on the crowd, the veterinarian tilted her head toward him in acknowledgement.

'What're you thinking?'

Round ebony irises flashed briefly, before she let out a sigh. 'I'm not sure yet.'

Kiba blinked. 'What do you mean, you're not sure yet?'

Hana opened her mouth to reply, but her words fell on deaf ears as his attention was suddenly drawn to the elephant that had just entered the room. Or rather, three elephants.

'Ah, Lady Tsunade.' His mother greeted somewhat pleasantly, before turning a colder eye on the two behind her. 'Homura. Koharu.'

'Tsume. I trust you have been well.' Koharu croaked as the trio joined her behind the desk.

'Let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? This is a serious matter at hand.'

'Indeed. We are aware of the facts.' Homura's voice was haggard and horase, much like his appearance. 'I assume you have managed to contain the knowledge of the matter among your clan only.'

'You assume correct. This is not the business of anyone outside the Inuzuka family.' The insinuation of their meddling did not go unnoticed by the elders, but Tsunade chose this moment to interject.

'Perhaps we should move this elsewhere?' The Hokage gestured vaguely to the room full of keenly prying eyes, preferring to discuss possible solutions without the input of the crowd.

Tsume bared her fangs in a grin of agreement, dismissing the rest of the Inuzuka's. 'Hana. Kiba. You will stay.'

The siblings exchanged glances, but obeyed without further question.

'Is that wise, Tsume?' Homaru raised an eyebrow and looked Tsume's pups up and down in a way that had the Inuzuka alpha's hackles rising.

'It won't be long before this clan's politics become a large part of my son's life, and with his sister as his advisor I believe it is completely wise, you damn, tenacious Neanderthal.'

The growl that followed was nothing short of feral, but Tsunade once again shifted into peace-keeper. 'Shall we get down to the actual issue here? There is a serious threat to the well-being of the Leaf. Tsume, where is Luna at this moment?'

For a split-second, Kiba could have sworn his mother's expression turned almost sheepish. 'We're not sure, she disappeared immediately after the… incident.' A quick glance in her son's direction confirmed his relief at her choice of wording.

'Excuse me?' Homaru scoffed in exaggerated disbelief. 'You don't even know where the problem is, and yet you throw insults at us like some insolent children? How irresponsible.'

It took everything in Kiba not to snarl at the unfriendly term in which the old fossil was referring to his friend, but a quick kick to the shin from his sister had him biting his lip instead.

'Perhaps…' This time, it was Koharu who saved her fellow council member from Tsume's wrath. '…Perhaps it would be best to conduct a plan of action, before we locate the girl?'

Tsunade nodded, thankful that at least one of them was trying to be cooperative. 'I agree. We have to consider the possibility that Luna is unreachable while being controlled by the assailant–'

'That's not true!' The words slipped from Kiba's mouth before he could stop them. He resisted the urge to shudder as five sets of eyes turned to glare at him. 'I just mean, Luna's not _completely_ unreachable. She managed to snap out of it twice when things turned ugly.'

'Regardless, we have to prepare for the worst case scenario.' The Hokage's voice held a soft manner to it, almost in understanding.

'If I might make a suggestion?' Homaru's voice, on the other hand, was a harsh contrast to Tsunade's.

'If you must…' Tsume muttered disinterestedly.

'I believe I may have just the solution, but first things first. Tsunade!' He barked gruffly, ignoring the glare he received for his disrespectful tone. 'Send a messenger to the gate keepers immediately. The village must go into lockdown, no one leaves, no one enters. If this criminal is already inside the village walls, he will not be allowed to escape. It is of utmost importance that we have Kotetsu and Izumo examine the records of all newcomers since Luna Hangetsu's arrival.'

'Very well.' It was obvious that it pained the Hokage to obey Homaru's blatant command, but it could not be denied that he made a good point. For once.

'And your solution to the wolf girl?' It was obvious that Koharu would instantly agree with whatever it was her teammate suggested, but she asked all the same.

'The Hozuki Castle.'

'Are you serious?!' Kiba outright snarled, shrugging out of Hana's sudden grip on his shoulder.

'That's a little extreme, don't you think?' Tsume frowned deeply, her extreme distaste for the idea evident on her features.

'The blood prison is only for the most dangerous and wanted criminals in the world. That is definitely going too far, even by your standards, Homaru.' Tsunade folded her arms, tapping a finger on her elbow as she spoke.

Located in the land of grass, the Hozuki Castle was a far cry from majestic, housing some of the worst offenders in the five great nations. Luna would crumble in a place like that, and there was no way in hell that Kiba was letting that happen.

'Do you have a better idea, Princess Tsunade?' Koharu murmured quietly, by way of disputing the flow of raised voices.

The Hokage thought for a moment, before letting out a sigh. 'It's not a great alternative, but there are the containment cells below the Kage tower? They were originally built to withstand the blows of a Jinchuuriki, so it's highly unlikely she could escape from such a cage.'

The Inuzuka's all battled the shiver that threatened them at the word 'cage'. It wasn't a fate they'd wish upon anyone. However, they didn't seem to have many other options right now.

'Alright then. But this is only a temporary solution, until we find the true culprit.' Tsume warned, her angry gaze bypassing Tsunade to fall accusingly upon the village elders.

'What? You can't seriously be agreeing to this?' Kiba was shocked that his mother would even consider such a fate. Yes, she could be strict and ruthless at times, but he had never known her to be cruel.

'Quiet, pup. It is decided.'

His fists clenched as he debated arguing further, but the Leaf village leaders were already leaving.

'Come, Tsume. We must make the necessary preparations.' Koharu ordered, not bothering to look back at the Inuzuka alpha as she addressed her.

After the four had gone, Kiba rounded on his sister. 'What the hell, Hana? Are you okay with this?'

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. 'Of course not, but I don't see much point in fighting when they've already made up their minds.'

'You barely spoke a word the whole time they were here. What're you really thinking?' He glowered angrily, squaring his shoulders in a silent challenge, which his sister didn't bother to meet.

'I just want what's best for the village. If keeping Luna contained for now is what's going to protect the people then–'

'Geez, Hana. You sound like _them_.' He scrunched his nose as though the word left a bad taste in his mouth. 'Whatever. I'm heading out.'

Turning on his heel, he began to march towards the door. He was fully intending to give it a good hard slam for added effect as he left, but his sister's words gave him pause.

'…You know where she is.' It wasn't a question.

He considered the possible threat in her words as he kept his back to her. In the end though, he decided she was merely voicing her own realisation, and continued in his exit.

Luna was exactly where he thought she'd be. Kiba stood downwind from her atop the Hokage mountain, in the very same place he'd shown her the view for the first time. He wondered absently if she came here often, but dismissed the thought in favour of concentration. She didn't seem to have noticed his presence yet, but he didn't want to sneak up on her or surprise her in case she ran again. In hindsight, approaching from behind probably wasn't his best plan of action, but here they were.

He'd left Akamaru at the gates of the Inuzuka compound, whimpering sadly as his master took off on his own, once again. He'd made a mental note to make it up to him later.

Onyx eyes scanned the hybrid girl before him. He silvery hair was billowing gently in the breeze, along with a few scraps of material that had come loose on her bandage. As he watched the cloth sway, understanding dawned as he realised it must have stretched and torn when her forearm expanded into a paw. _Makes sense_.

'What will they do to me?' She asked suddenly, her voice impossibly small. He wondered how long she'd known he was there, but didn't dwell on it.

Kiba sighed, one hand on his hip as he considered his response. _Guess there's no point sugar coating it._ 'There's an erm, a set of holding cells built to restrain a tailed beast below the Hokage tower. The elders want you _contained_ for the time being, just until they can catch the bastard behind all this. But don't worry, there's no way I'll let those conservative old windbags lock you away like that!'

She smiled sadly at his fierceness, but shot him down. 'Don't waste your energy. It's probably for the best.'

'Not you too…' He muttered. 'Look, it wasn't your fault okay? Besides, you snapped out of it. I'm fine!'

'You're fine?' Something about her tone told him this wasn't an actual question. 'You're _fine_ , you say?' She crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Pressing her palms to his shoulders in the same way her paws had previously pinned him down, she pushed him back hard, tutting when he winced. 'You're not fine.'

'I'm a ninja, Luna. I've had worse, trust me.'

'How can you say that? How can you pretend like everything's _fine_ when it's far from it! I _want_ them to lock me up, I never want to do anything like that again. I could have _killed_ you!'

Despite the dire mood, his mouth twisted into a smirk. 'It'll take a lot more than that to kill me–'

'More than what? Ripping your throat out?' She hissed, this time shoving him in the chest, making him stumble back another step. 'You aren't invincible, Kiba, and I'm not some precious little ninken pup. I could have… No, I _would have_ killed you!'

'Okay, but you didn't. You stopped.'

'Only because he let me go at the last second!'

The Inu nin's eyebrows pulled together. 'What?'

'I stopped the first time by myself, when you put your palm out to me. But the second time, it was too strong. I only stopped because he relinquished his hold on me at the last second! That wasn't _me_ …' _I was too weak._

'If he let you go himself, how do you know you couldn't have stopped on your own?' It was unbelievable to the she-wolf that Kiba still held his faith in her self-control. But he was wrong! _I am too weak._

'I just know, okay?' She lifted her arms to shove him for the third time, but his hands reached out and gripped her wrists before they could make contact with his front.

'Will you quit that? I'm not going anywhere, so stop already.' She struggled to pull her arms back to her own chest, but he held tight. 'Whether he let you go or not, I _know_ you would have stopped.'

'How? _How_ do you know that?' Luna's voice threatened to break as the tears welled in her eyes. Her treacherous bottom lip had begun to quiver, and the hybrid could already taste copper as she bit down on the offending body part.

'I just know, okay?' He smiled as he used her own words in response, tugging her toward him softly until her head hit his chest. Releasing her wrists, Kiba's arms snaked around her waist to pull her closer, inhaling slightly as he nuzzled her neck. For several moments, Luna remained tense, and Kiba was convinced she was going to push him away. But she surprised them both when her hands fisted in his jacket and her shoulders slumped against him.

'How can you have so much faith in me after what happened?' Her voice wobbled as she whispered the words into his chest.

She felt his shoulders rise and fall in a casual shrug. 'I trust you.'

The breath that caught in her throat didn't go amiss by the Inu nin, causing his arms to tighten around her waist until finally, she murmured quite pathetically, '…You shouldn't.'

He only chuckled at that, figuring he'd won the battle for now.

Their momentary peace was broken however, when Kiba's keen nose began to pick up the faint scent of approaching Leaf ninja on the breeze. "Oh, great…"

Luna's head lifted. "What now?" She almost didn't want to know.

"We've got company."

No sooner than the words had left his mouth, the pair found themselves surrounded. Luna broke away from his embrace and tensed again automatically, flicking into fight or flight mode.

"What, they sent Anbu?!" The Inu nin bared his teeth as he faced them, expression twisting in disdain. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

They ignored his jibe, masked faces hiding all visible emotion. "Luna Hangetsu. We are under strict orders from the Hokage to escort you to the holding cells below the Kage tower, immediately. If you try resist, we have permission to use whatever means necessary."

A low growl rumbled in Kiba's throat as he prepared to jump to her defence, but Luna quickly shook her head. "It's alright. I'll go with you."

"What? No way, this is crazy! They can't just cage you up like some kind of…"

"Some kind of animal?" She smiled sadly at him, knowing exactly why he'd trailed off. She _was_ an animal. Well, half, but it still counted. Kiba might have put his trust in her, but it was unreasonable to expect these strangers to do so too.

"It's just not right." He muttered, unable to argue the point further.

"It's okay. Besides, it's just temporary, right?" She placed a hand on his arm briefly in a rare display of affection, before letting it drop back to her side.

Finally appearing resigned to the idea, Kiba nodded and attempted a smile, but it ended up more of a grimace than anything positive.

"This way, please." The Anbu gathered in a small group with one on either side of the she-wolf, two in front and two behind. They allowed her no further time for goodbyes, simply whipped her away in a flurry.

The holding cells were cold, damp and dismal. It didn't surprise her. Tsunade had greeted her and the Anbu escorts at the entrance to the tower, dismissing them and leading her down personally. She had been nothing but apologetic, but Luna understood.

But it wasn't so bad. Before the Hokage left, the blonde woman had made sure Luna was well catered for. Beside her now lay several bottles of water, a thick blanket and a small ninja pack filled with things to nibble on. If anything, she was just bored.

Kiba, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of bored. In the few hours Luna had spent in the Hokage's special prison, the Inu nin had been hard at work arguing for her freedom with his family. When that had failed, he'd practically run the entire length of the village gathering his friends in a last ditch attempt at gaining some allies.

He'd arranged for them all to meet at an old playground where they used to hang out when they were younger. It was quiet, and almost pitch black under the moonless sky, with only a rickety old lamppost in the corner illuminating the climbing frame.

"Alright, we're all–" Shikamaru paused to yawn, mid-sentence. "–here, Kiba. What's so important that it couldn't wait till a decent hour?"

Choji and Ino grumbled something in agreement, the latter combing through several knots in platinum blonde hair. Kiba rolled his eyes at her fussing.

"Look, Luna's in trouble and I really need your help to get her out of it." He paused as Naruto suddenly snored loudly, and Sakura spared a moment to whack Naruto upside the head, promptly waking him up.

"Huh! Sakura-chan?!" The hero of the leaf panicked, startled.

The pinkette scowled at slapped a hand to her hip, shifting her weight. "Pay attention, Naruto. This is important."

"What has happened to Luna, Kiba?" Lee looked completely alert and raring to go, but that was unsurprising.

The Inu's attention shifted back to the group as a whole, and began to explain the situation as best he could. He told them of the strange sounds the ninken had heard, and the legend of the Hihanta. Then he told them as briefly as he could about the incident with Luna earlier, and how she was now locked in a holding cell below the Kage tower.

Naruto instantly snapped awake at this, looking utterly appalled. "Granny Tsunade locked her in a cage?!"

"She didn't have much choice, from the sound of it, Naruto." Sakura said quietly, coming to her mentor's defence.

"No, she didn't," Kiba agreed, "but it's still wrong. And the last time Luna was put in a cage she freaked out and nearly completely destroyed Hana's clinic."

"So what are you saying? You want to break her out and let her loose on the village in her condition?" Neji questioned, sounding harsher than intended.

"She's not dangerous! She broke out of his control once, I know she could do it again." The dog trainer frowned, expression tensing determinedly.

Shikamaru spoke next, who'd been silently listening and considering all options. "I hate to put a downer on the situation, but I actually think the way things are now is best for everyone–"

"You can't be serious!" Kiba started to growl, but the Nara cut him off.

"Let me finish. If we go and break her out, then this enemy manages to get her under his control again, what are his limits? Not only could Luna hurt someone in the village, she'll be a danger to herself too. Suppose this is the work of 'Hihanta', his goal is the obliteration of her clan, correct?"

"…I guess so…" _Curse Shikamaru for being so reasonable._

"And then there's the issue of the elders. If Luna is caught running around loose now, how's that going to look to them? Like she broke herself out. She'll be instantly labelled a threat."

"So what are you saying? We sit back and do nothing?" Naruto's fists clenched as he voiced Kiba's own thoughts.

"No. But I don't think breaking Luna out is the best plan in this situation. We need to scope out the village first, see if this intruder has left us any clues."

This apparently wasn't satisfactory though, for Kiba. "Right. And while we're off searching the streets and playing detective, she stays trapped in that dingy place all by herself for who knows how long, when she already has trust issues! Not to mention how _boring_ that must be! Tch."

"Kiba. Do you honestly think breaking her out will do the village any favours?"

"Maybe not, but this isn't about the village. This is about Luna! If someone is targeting her, we should be protecting her not locking her up!"

The pair continued to argue a while longer, voices raising with every sentence until finally Neji interrupted, attempting to calm the situation. "Alright guys, how about we compromise. Kiba, give us a few days to check out the village, then if we find nothing of use, we'll help you get her out of there. How does that sound?"

For a moment, Kiba and Shikamaru only glared at each other stubbornly, but several more murmurs of agreement from the others was all it took for them to drop the stare-off.

"Fine. We break her out in two days."

"Kiba! Two days is no time at all to scan and entire village." Shikamaru scolded. "We need at least a week."

"Three days, and search quickly."

"Five."

"…Four. Final offer." The Inuzuka's eyes narrowed, daring the opposition to push him one more time. He didn't.

"Alright, four days. We'll search in our academy squad teams. Team seven will check the East side of Konaha, team eight the West, Team Guy the North and we'll take the South. Got it?"

There was a chorus of 'yeah's, and the Nara sighed.

"How troublesome. See you all back here in four days at noon."

As the group began to disperse, Kiba threw his arms in the air and took to pacing as he ranted. "This is ridiculous. I'll be she's not even allowed visitors in there. Four days is too long. Too long…"

"Erm, K-Kiba?"

"What now?" The dog trainer rounded on his pale-eyed teammate a little too harshly, muttering an apology when she flinched. "Sorry. What is it, Hinata?"

"W-well… It's just that, I agree with you! I don't think it's fair that Luna's being punished when she's the one in danger."

"Yeah it totally sucks, right, Hinata?" Naruto grunted, crossing his arms and missing the faint blush that dusted the girl's cheeks. "I still can't believe Granny Tsunade agreed to it."

Kiba spared a moment to scan the people still beside him. Hinata, Shino, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Lee and Tenten. Neji was hovering beside his teammates until Tenten scolded him for standing around aimlessly and sent him on his way. The remaining ninja had then settled into quiet grumblings of disgust over the situation, forming a circle and somehow managing to exclude Kiba from the heated whisperings. They stayed that were for several minutes as the Inuzuka heir watched in half amusement, half annoyance, until they broke apart, and simultaneously turned to him.

"Let's do this." Naruto grinned.

Kiba blinked. "…Do what?"

"Let's break her out! What else?!"

"We have had all decided," Lee announced, "that it is completely unfair the way things are now. Should the positions be reversed, I know I would be disappointed to be left alone in a cell while my fellow comrades did all the work for me!"

"Exactly, but we'll have to be clever about this. I mean, we're sneaking around behind Neji and Shikamaru's back, which won't be easy." Sakura warned, looking mainly at the loud, blonde haired ninja who was infamously terrible at sneaking.

"Not to mention we're breaking into Lady Hokage's private jail…" Tenten muttered, one hand on her hip.

"You guys… Are you sure about this?" Kiba stared at them each individually, eyes hovering over Sai a moment too long.

Said male's onyx irises slid shut as he tilted his head and smiled oddly, the way Sai often did. "I am not averse to the opportunity for further team bonding."

"Besides, we all like Luna!" Naruto gave Kiba a thumbs up, and Hinata agreed quietly with her life-long crush.

"So, we're doing this…" The dog trainer said, more of a question than a statement. Another series of nods and murmurs of agreement were all it took for the Inuzuka to be convinced, determination sparking in his ebony eyes. "Right. We need a plan. Someone's gotta distract Shikamaru and Neji for starters…"

"What about Ino and Choji?" Asked Lee suspiciously.

The pinkette stepped forward. "Ino-Pig won't be an issue. And it won't take much food bribing for Choji to keep his mouth shut, if they find out."

"Lee and I can meet up with Neji and help him look for clues, to keep him off your tails." Tenten chuckled when she realised her phrasing. "Er, pun unintended!"

"I'll go to Lady Tsunade and make sure her and the elders are occupied. I'll make up some medical distraction, ask for advice or something. Sai, you could do surveillance of Shikamaru's team on one of your ink birds and keep us informed of their positions. Hinata your Byakugan would be helpful in keeping track of their movements too." Sakura suggested.

"Of course!" Hinata smiled. Sai only nodded silently, as though afraid to oppose his female teammate.

"So that leaves you two to break Luna out of the prison." Sakura continued, her plan unravelling further. "Naruto, your use of clones and transformation will be helpful to sneak in there, distract the guards or something."

"You got it." The blonde grinned, pleased with the recognition of his skills.

"When shall we put this into motion?" The green ninja questioned Sakura, since she seemed to have the situation well thought out.

"That's up to Kiba." She tilted her head, giving the control back to her friend.

The Inu heir smirked. "No time like the present."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the others, I was trying to move the narrative along and fit in some of the more boring parts.

Please review! It motivates me to write like nothing else :)


	8. The Inu and the Other Inu (Part 1)

**A/N:** Hello! This is a spin off one/two shot that occurs somewhere in the midst of my fic, 'The Inu and The Okami'. This and the next chapter can be skipped if you want to, they aren't specifically relevant to plot but it will be fun and cute.

So I thought it'd be kind of fun to play with this idea, since Road to Ninja is probably my favourite movie in the Naruto Franchise. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Naruto or any of its characters or plot.

* * *

 **The Inu and the Other Inu (Part 1)**

Two sharp kicks. One solid punch. Two high kicks and bam!

 _Geez, training as a human is_ _hard_!

Luna ran a hand through her shoulder-length pale locks until her hand came to rest on the back of her neck. Damp. She never sweat this much in her wolf form, and she hated it.

If it was up to her, her training would consist of tearing that stupid test dummy apart with fangs and claws, not hands and feet. But alas, the ferocious-looking Inuzuka alpha had pulled the old 'my compound, my rules' trick on her, insisting that she get her human agility and strength up before she continued focusing solely on her wolf form. Why, she didn't know. Luna doubted there'd ever be a time she chose her human fighting form over her lupine one.

Her respect for the older woman had won out in the end, though, so here she was. Grunting and sweating in the training forest at the back of the Inuzuka estate and grumbling to herself every time she managed to acquire a splinter.

Raising her nose to the air, she sniffed once, then twice, followed by a relieved grin spreading across her face. She may not have had the nose of an Inuzuka, but she recognised that scent anywhere.

He emerged from the bushes not ten feet away from her, looking her straight in the eye. But something about his appearance was off. Not only was his usual canine companion absent, but his leather jacket was ripped and torn along the sleeves and bits of twig and foliage clung to his hair as though he'd been battling the trees themselves.

"Kiba? Are you alright?" She frowned, scarlet irises narrowing as she flipped one long piece of silver hair over her shoulder. "What happened to you?"

His expression was frozen in what looked like a state of shock, but as the hybrid girl began to move towards him he shook himself violently, making her steps falter. Something was definitely not right.

Before she'd had even one more second to ponder this, the dog trainer dashed forward, hands gripping her upper arms tightly as though worried she'd slip away and never return.

"It's… It's really you! You're really here?!" His ebony eyes were wide, impossibly so, and Luna had to catch her breath when they began to fill with water. Was he about to cry?!

The next thing she knew, she had been tugged forward into a snug embrace, his nose nuzzling into her neck as he inhaled her scent. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"Wh-what are you talking about? You're starting to scare me…"

He pushed back on her arms suddenly, staring into her eyes so deeply she felt her heart skip a beat. His expression was strained, looking so desperately helpless and overwhelmingly overjoyed all at the same time that Luna could hardly bare it.

Her voice barely audible, she managed to whisper, "Kiba?"

And then he kissed her. So quickly, she had no time to register it and so urgently she hadn't the heart to push him away. _But what on Earth?!_

His lips stilled against hers, probably realising that she hadn't released a breath in almost sixty seconds, and he pulled back ever-so-slightly.

"How is this possible? Where have you been all this time?" He murmured, still mere millimetres from her face.

"I… I…" She stammered, confusion gripping her. "K-Kiba, I saw you just three hours ago!" _And we don't kiss! Why are you kissing me?!_

"Three hours…" He repeated, eyes hardening from the haze he'd appeared to be in as he took a step back, finally releasing her arms. "Luna, I haven't seen you in three years!"

Neither of them dared speak another word for the next few moments, both processing what the other had said until the hybrid girl finally regained her senses. "What are you talking about? We left the compound together this morning!"

"Luna… Do you have amnesia?" The Inuzuka's eyebrows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and concern, tears still fresh in his onyx eyes. He lifted a shaking hand to her forehead, pressing down lightly.

Distrubed, she shuddered and reeled backwards. There was something wrong, and she didn't like it one bit. "There's nothing wrong with me! What are you talking about, don't you remember leaving the house before, shouting bye to Tsume and Kuromaru and–"

"Did someone do this to you? Meddle with your memories then send you back in this state? How could you not know that three years have passed…? Besides, you hate my mother!"

Luna flinched in surprise. "When did you get that impression?"

"Erm, almost every time you were in the same room…" Kiba frowned, starting to look suspicious, but he held his ground.

"But… I owe everything to Tsume! Why in the world would I not like her?" Her scarlet irises were wild with bafflement, but then she noticed something else. "Hey, your cheeks…"

She lifted one finger and stretched out her arm to poke him gently on the side of his face, where his Inuzuka clan markings were tattooed. "They're different… How did you change them?"

"I haven't changed them. Luna, they've been the same ever since I was a little kid…"

The pair stared at each other in equal confusion for several minutes, each trying to figure out what was wrong with the other.

"I think we should go see Tsume… She'll know what to do, right?" The she-wolf eventually suggested, becoming unnerved by the way Kiba had begun surveying her up and down, as though checking for injuries.

"I think you're right. But try and keep it civil, alright?" He offered her a small smile that was probably meant to be comforting.

Having no idea how to respond, she merely nodded, flinching again when he moved to take her hand.

Kiba glanced up when she jumped, hurt flashing across his face. He didn't attempt to console her again after that, simply following mutely back to the Inu household.

"Erm, Tsume?" She called out, standing awkwardly in the kitchen doorway facing the hall. Her voice seemed to echo through the otherwise quite building, and for a minute she wondered if Tsume was even home.

"Luna. How can I help you?" The woman emerged from the living room suddenly, making the wolf girl jump.

The fact that she reacted so casually to Luna after her supposedly being missing for three years must have hit home with the dog trainer, and both women noticed his breath hitch in his throat.

"I think… I think there's something wrong with Kiba."

Tsume's expression darkened as she stepped around the hybrid to where her son hovering behind his friend. "Kiba. Where's Akamaru?"

Though his suspicion was still evident on his face, the boy shrugged, unconcerned. "Dunno. Not seen him since yesterday."

The women exchanged odd glances.

"Have you two had a falling out, or something?"

Feral eyes narrowed as his mother confronted him outright. "Don't ask _me_. _He's_ the one who's always being so awkward. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Luna sighed. "See what I mean? He's acting weird!"

"You're right. This is unusual behaviour, even for him."

"Hey, I'm still here you know. And since when were you two so pally?"

"Huh? What're you talking about now, pup?"

"You and Lulu could never be within ten meters without tearing each other apart before she disappeared!"

One of Luna's eyebrows rose at the nickname. Since when was she called Lulu? Her tail swished in distaste as they continued to argue.

"Don't be so ridiculous, when have I ever expressed dislike for the girl?" The alpha female breezed over the last part, choosing to react only to his accusation. Tsume's patience was wearing thin already and Luna's ears had tilted backwards nervously. She wasn't about to get caught in the middle of one of _their_ infamous rows.

"Oh, only every other day since the day she came to the Leaf! Don't pretend you haven't, Ma!"

"Why you little–"

"Hey guys, what's going…"

Three sets of eyes turned on the Inuzuka and his canine companion in the doorway. His shaggy brown hair damp from sweat after a long day of training with his team.

"…Kiba?" Luna managed to splutter, earning a reply from both males simultaneously.

"Who's this guy?" They chorused, glaring at each other with matching confusion.

Akamaru growled by the newest Kiba's side, nose twitching frantically as he tried to suss out the imposter.

"Tsume?" Luna addressed the only person she was currently familiar with.

The female Inuzuka was already on the defensive, teeth bared in a snarl as she sized the two Kibas up. "Akamaru, heel."

The large white beast seemed reluctant at first to leave his masters side, but eventually came to stand beside their alpha.

"You wanna let me in on the joke?" The newest Kiba ground out through grit teeth, looking the angriest and most confused Luna had ever seen him. "Who is this guy?!"

"This is no joke, pup!" Tsume growled back just as ferociously. It was clear to Luna in that moment how the mother and son resembled one another, and had the situation not been so serious, Luna would have laughed at their synchronised sniffing.

"You! Who are you? Where did you come from?" The Kiba in the doorway rounded on the one nearest to the hybrid girl. The one who'd been acting strangely.

"I could ask you the same thing!" His eyes flit almost nervously from his doppelganger to Akamaru, as though anticipating some sort of attack.

The dog in question shifted uncomfortably, though it was clear who he really wanted to stand beside, and it wasn't the person Luna had brought in.

Tsume bristled at the canine's movement, having already decided on the intruder but wanting to remain cautious. Despite her cruel appearance and lack of outward motherly emotions, he was still her son and she did love him.

"Alright Akamaru, I trust you." Her feral eyes narrowed on the Kiba beside the she-wolf, only now seeming to notice the difference in his cheek markings. "What is your purpose here, intruder?"

"What? I live here, Ma!"

"Don't you dare lie to my face, or I'll tear you apart!" The alpha female barked harshly.

"But… I'm not lying! How can you say that? Don't you know who you are?!"

"How dare you… You asked for it!" The woman snarled terrifyingly, crouching and preparing to leap and attack. Luna watched in horror and her son and Akamaru followed suit obediently.

"No, stop!" The wolf girl cried out suddenly, darting in front of their target. Hesitation and mistrust flickered across the Inuzuka's expressions, but they held their ground for now, giving her the benefit of the doubt.

"I-it's just, I don't think he's dangerous. I mean…" She glanced back over her shoulder, catching the intruders wide-eyed gaze. "I just mean we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Are you kidding me? That guy could be trying to infiltrate the leaf or anything and you just want to let him go?" Kiba demanded, sounding hurt.

"Wait, wait, wait." The newcomer began, holding up his hands and halting their conversation. "How do I know you aren't the infiltrator? In fact, how do I know any of you are who you say you are?!"

The trio exchanged odd glances and Akamaru whined softly in agreed confusion.

"For one thing, you," he pointed to Tsume, "have never liked Lulu. You two fight like cat and mouse all the time! For another, you're supposed to be… Well, no one's seen you in three years!" He exclaimed, eyes pausing on Luna a second too long.

The real Inuzuka heir seemed to notice, growling lowly under his breath in distaste.

"And that _beast,_ "His mirror continued, "is the nastiest canine I've ever encountered! Damn, I wish I was a cat tamer…"

If the Tsume, Luna and Akamaru were still unsure of who was who at this point, that last statement just confirmed it. He was definitely a fake.

"Alright pups. We need to sort this situation out before the elders catch wind of it, cause they'll end up locking the both of you away. For now, I suggest we keep him under lock and key, away from the main house. Somewhere in the woods. If anyone asks, we'll say Kiba's undergoing an intense training program and not to bother him should they see him out and about… that'll be you." She nodded at her real son.

It was certainly a complex operation they were planning, but even Luna realised it was one they couldn't pull off indefinitely.

"Until we figure out a more permanent solution, I'm going to seek council with Lady Tsunade. She's always been a good friend, and I'm sure I can trust her to keep this to herself for now. I want the three of you to keep an eye on him in the meantime. I'll be along shortly to set up a movement restriction barrier."

"Oh I'll keep an eye on him alright." The Inu nin grumbled, fists clenching. His giant canine nuzzled his hand, sensing his frustration and wanting to ease it. Luna allowed a small smile to slip onto her face at their obvious bond.

"Hold on…" An even more intense emotion flashed through the real Kiba's blazing irises as he sniffed in his duplicate's direction again. "Why do you have _her_ scent all over you?!"

Luna froze. He was talking about _her_ scent, which must have transferred onto him after that stupid kiss. _Oh, crap._ Jumping to his mirror's defence, the hybrid cut in quickly. "He mistook me for someone when we first met, that's all."

Kiba seemed unconvinced, eyes narrowing dubiously, but he didn't comment any further.

For that, Luna was thankful. "Well, let's get him to the woods."

She turned back to the fake, a thoughtful face gracing her features as she mumbled to herself. "Kiba means fang, right? Hmm… What's another word for fang?" Her expression clouded momentarily, mulling over a brief idea in her head. And then it came to her, like a lightbulb igniting behind her eyes. "Shikon! We should call you Shikon for the time being, to avoid confusion."

Luna wasn't sure who looked more surprised, Kiba, Akamaru, or the newly dubbed Shikon. No one seemed to have any objections though, so she took that as one small victory. For now at least.

* * *

The trio led Shikon to a secluded area of the Inuzuka forests that was usually only used for high level jutsu practice. There was a small grassy hill, which was essentially just a glorified mound of greenery, acting as a buffer between the lushness of the forest and a rocky patch of dirt and sandstone. Nestled in the side of the mound was a stone dome-like shelter, which was to become Shikon's temporary prison.

Luna shuddered at the thought. She knew better than anyone how terrible it felt to feel trapped, whether the cage was made of metal bars or stone walls. It was all the same.

Kiba was considerably less understanding. Had he been a wolf himself, his back and shoulders would have been aching like crazy by now from his hackles being up so long. She would have rolled her eyes if he wasn't keeping an eagle eye on her as much as his estranged doppelganger.

Akamaru had been silent for the whole journey, choosing to merely observe the humans and wolf girl quietly. Luna wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing, but she doubted the situation could be made any worse, so she let it slide.

They had come to a stop beside the stone shelter, Kiba moving to lean against the rocky wall with both Luna and Shikon in his eyeline. Akamaru was sitting faithfully by his side, occasionally nudging his masters leg with his shoulder.

"This is insane." Shikon muttered suddenly, being the first one to speak in over twenty minutes.

Kiba scoffed rudely, and his canine's head rose slightly at the noise.

"If you'd just tell us where you came from then none of this would–"

"Don't you get it? Everything I've told you is the truth! Unless…" Shikon paused briefly, before closing his eyes with his hands and forefingers pressed together in a quick hand sign. "Release!"

When the world around him failed to dissipate, the Inu imposter let his hands drop. "Worth a try…"

"This isn't some Genjutsu, idiot." Kiba growled, growing impatient.

"Calm down, Kiba." Akamaru whined. "There's no point in getting frustrated, we'll figure this out eventually."

Shikon grunted in agreement. "Akamaru's right. Whatever's going on is clearly affecting us all… Whoever you all are…"

"…"

"…"

"You can understand him?!" Luna and Kiba both exclaimed in unison and equal surprise.

"Of course I can. He's my dog…" And then, realisation struck. " _Now_ do you believe I am who I say?"

When Kiba was unable to come up with an intelligible response, the she-wolf saved him the trouble.

"Let's just wait for Tsume and Tsunade."

The identical males had no choice but to agree, though neither appeared satisfied. It was incredibly bizarre, Luna had to admit. So many possibilities had crossed the hybrids mind already, including cloning, DNA manipulation and a long lost twin brother.

Another twenty minutes passed in silence, but Luna could almost feel the fury rolling off her friend in waves. He was never very good at reigning in emotions, but this was the most agitated she'd ever seen him. She wished there was something she could do, but nothing she thought up seemed eligible.

She wondered what the real reason behind his incredible frustration was, since the girl doubted a mere character impersonation such as this could cause intensity. It was very unlike the Inuzuka heir.

Tsume couldn't have arrived soon enough and, to their relief, she'd brought the Hokage. Tsunade wasn't one to beat around the bush, delving straight in with her medical expertise and performing a quite probing investigation into the newcomer's essence.

"It's truly fascinating…" Tsunade breathed as she released her glowing green chakra. "He's an almost identical match, inside and out. The only difference being the markings on his cheeks, and an ever-so-slight difference in his chakra usage over time."

"Meaning?" Kiba snarled, not caring whether he was addressing his mother or the leader of his village.

"Meaning, apart from a vaguely lower amount of chakra exerted in his lifetime, he is exactly who he says he is. He is Kiba Inuzuka."

"What?!" Luna wasn't sure how much of this Kiba could bare to hear before he snapped. "But… How is that possible?!"

The Hokage looked thoughtful, as though debating whether or not to reveal something of importance.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm asking you on behalf of my family. If you know something about this, then please let us in on it." Tsume asked, so politely that Luna had to keep her jaw from dropping.

Tsunade hesitated, but Tsume's words seemed to hit home. She released a sigh of resignation, swearing them all to secrecy.

"There was an incident a few years back, involving two other ninja from the Leaf. I would like to keep their identities hidden, for their protection." The Inuzuka's and Luna nodded respectively as she continued. "The pair tried to spread the word of something similar happening to them, claiming they were sent to a world where everyone they knew was residing as normal, but with something just slightly off about them all. They were silenced on the matter instantly, so as not to cause panic amongst the villagers as I'm sure you can understand."

"Wait, you're talking alternate universe and shit, right?" The original Inuzuka heir raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure he wanted to believe such a tale.

"Kiba! Show some respect to your kage!" His mother scolded, clipping his ear with a claw and ignoring his complaint that followed. "Do you think this boy came from this alternate land then, Milady?"

"At the moment it's the only thing I can conclude. Kiba, tell me about–"

"It's Shikon, actually." Shikon interrupted, surprising them all.

"W-we dubbed him Shikon for now, so we don't get too confused…" Luna supplied, trying to fill the silence that threatened to stretch out between them.

Tsunade inclined her head once in acceptance of the explanation. "…Very well then. Shikon. I would like to confer with said two ninja who claim to have previously experienced such a world. Could you tell me about your teammates where you're from?"

"Er, sure. Well first there's Shino. There's not much to tell about him, except that he absolutely hates insects. Crazy bastard carries around bug repellent everywhere. Drives us all mad." The Leaf ninja had to choke back a mixture of humour and shock, but Shikon was unfazed by the reactions, apparently growing used to the oddity of it all. "Then there's Hinata, who's just downright terrifying."

"Thank you. I will get back to you as soon as I have consulted the others. Tsume, give me a hand with the barrier jutsu, would you?"

"Of course, Lady Tsunade."

While the older women began the ritual of sealing off the training grounds, Luna and her canine company fell into a more comfortable silence. Kiba seemed to be becoming more accepting of the situation now, but it was clear his guard was still way up.

Glancing at his doppelganger, her expression morphed into mild fascination as she watched his features fall. His face now resembled something like disappointment as he stared back into her ruby irises, but Luna had no time to question it as the barrier buzzed and glowed into life in the surrounding area.

"There. That should keep him contained for the time being."

"Thank you, Milady. I'll have the pups supervise him regularly until we can figure out our next move."

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you're all enjoying it so far.

Leave a review if you like it!


	9. The Inu and the Other Inu (Part 2)

**A/N:** Welcome to the second and final part of my little spin-off from 'The Inu and the Okami'. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters, only my OCs.

* * *

 **The Inu and the Other Inu (Part 2)**

Over time, her and the new Inuzuka became closer, and although it would be a far cry to say she could trust him, Luna knew she was growing attached. Which was a shame, because not four hours after they had left the training ground, Tsunade had returned with confirmation of their story.

So, he really was Kiba, after all. But not their Kiba. Kiba from another world. The next plan was to try to figure out how to send him home, but that seemed to be proving more difficult than they'd hoped.

It was virtually impossible to get their heads around, but Luna felt as though she was coming to terms with it the more she saw Shikon. He actually was quite different to her Kiba in many ways, she realised. He wasn't as abrasive as the friend she'd grown so close to, and his manners were by far superior. He seemed to have this odd obsession with cats too, which unnerved her slightly.

She came to visit Shikon more and more in his cage of grass and rock. The barrier the Inuzuka alpha and the Hokage had set up forbid him from leaving the training grounds, but Luna was still free to come and go as she pleased, and he was always grateful of the company. She brought him food every evening too, which he obviously appreciated.

"Tell me about her?" Luna asked one evening after watching him heartily scoff the chicken wing's she'd brought.

From the smirk Shikon threw her in response, it must have been dreadfully apparent that Luna had been wondering about her other self.

"Heh, honestly? She was a lot different to you, in many ways…" He was quiet for several moments after that, forehead creased as he debated on how to summarise his Lulu. "She had a much shorter fuse than you, for starters. It was just downright terrifying whenever she fought with my Ma because I swear, the whole building would literally shake with the force of their arguments!"

The hybrid girl chuckled as she tried to imagine herself fight so terribly with the Inu Alpha.

"And she was fearless. Never afraid to speak her mind, no matter the situation. God, that girl had absolutely no brain to mouth filter. She got herself into all kinds of trouble for that… Well, it would have been trouble had she actually needed my help. Let's just say she could hold her own in a fight against three seriously angry Jounin and two Anbu Black Ops!" This time it was Shikon who had to laugh, dark eyes gazing at the sky as though lost in a memory. "The biggest difference is your social habits though."

Luna blinked, unsure if she'd heard him correctly. "My what?"

"You know, the way you act around people. My Luna was much more open, whereas you seem much more reserved… No offence! It's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. And strange, in a way. Imagine being thrown into a world where everyone you meet you know, but everything you know about them is wrong!"

"Huh. I never thought of it like that."

The pair lapsed into a moderately comfortable silence, each mulling over the situation in their own way, until the silver-haired girl felt his onyx eyes on her own. She glanced up to meet his gaze, expecting him to react or look away, but he didn't. It was only when Luna made an awkward noise in the back of her throat that he realised he'd been staring.

"Oh, er, s-sorry. It's just, you do _look_ exactly like my Luna did." Shikon's eyes softened as he spoke, adopting a somewhat melancholy expression. He reached up to trace the small curved symbol on her forehead. "Apart from your crescent moon, hers was on her left wrist."

"I'm not her, you know…" She murmured gently, not wanting to upset her companion.

"I know that. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's alright…" She shook her head in reassurance. "But erm, Shikon?"

"Yes?"

"W-what happened to her? The other me?"

The alternate Kiba pulled a face in distaste, as though discussing the subject would bring his Luna's fate on this Luna, too.

"I-it's okay if you don't want to tell me. I'll understand!"

"She…" The Inu ninja let out a sigh, closing his eyes momentarily. "She died. Three years ago. We were on our last mission together before our summer break…"

"Oh, I'm so sorry." It felt weird apologising about her own death to him, but Luna had to remind herself that this was actually an entirely different life force to her own.

"Not your fault."

"I'm sure it wasn't yours either." The statement was unusually perceptive for Luna, but there had just been something about the way he'd muttered those three words that had her replying before she realised it.

His head snapped up to look her in the eye, surprise tainting his expression. "You don't know that."

"No, but I can tell you loved her a lot. How could it possibly be your fault if you loved her so much?"

Shikon mouthed silently, and when he finally failed to form a suitable response, the she-wolf changed the subject. "Anyway, Tsume was very optimistic about the progress on finding you a way home, earlier."

She smiled, expecting him to mirror the notion. What she got instead was a small frown. _What had she said now?_

"Are you okay?" She asked nervously, jolting in surprise when the male before her leapt to his feet suddenly.

"That's it!" He exclaimed animatedly.

Deciding to humour him, she grinned and scrabbled to her feet too. "What's it?"

"Luna… You could come with me!"

* * *

Kiba couldn't believe what he was hearing. Fury balled in his fists as the sudden desire to punch something flooded him uncontrollably. It wasn't that he'd been intending to listen in on their conversation… It's just that he hadn't seen Luna in days, and he really, _really_ missed her. More than he cared to admit. She'd missed their last few training sessions together too, instead opting to keep that bastard company. It seemed that's all she ever wanted to do lately, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Come… with you?" Luna repeated, clarifying what she'd heard.

"Yeah, back to my world. I could introduce you to everyone! They'll all be so amazed and I'm sure they'll all love you. And you'd sort of already know them, and they'd sort or already know you. And your family! Oh, your family will be so happy to–"

"My family?!" Scarlet eyes widened dramatically, mouth dropping open. "They… They're alive?"

"Oh… Y-you mean…" Understanding dawned in the fake Inu ninja's voice. "How long ago?"

But the hybrid girl only shook her head, not wanting to broach the subject in depth. Shikon seemed to catch on, bubbling again about how great it'd be if she came with him.

"Well then you'll get to see them again! It'd be perfect!"

 _How dare that bastard use her dead family as a bribe to go back with him! No way would she be swayed so easily._ Kiba growled under his breath as he tried to sneak closer without being seen.

"…I could see my family again…" She murmured to herself, looking desperately tempted.

The hidden dog trainer stopped dead in his sneaking, mid-step. _She's not actually considering this… is she?_

Shikon apparently picked up on the hopeful note in her words and continued his plea. "They live on our compound with us now, you know. They moved in a little after you… Er, after Lulu… well, you know."

"They're living in Konaha? With outsiders?" Her eyes seemed to widen further, if that were possible.

"Yeah, I was surprised too. But it was their idea, said they wanted to feel closer to you."

This wasn't right. It wasn't that fake's Luna sat before him, it was _his_ Luna!

Kiba sucked in a breath suddenly at that thought. Since when were either of them _his_?! And then he frowned. Maybe that was the problem. She didn't belong to him or anybody else, so if she wanted to leave, she could. No one could stop her, not even Kiba. The whole situation made his head spin as he strained his ears to hear her reply.

"I could see them again…" Her voice was quiet, but Kiba heard her tone loud and clear. That was it, she'd decided. She was going to leave him…

Unable to stand it any longer, he spun on his heel and leapt away, almost barrelling straight into Akamaru on his way home.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" The large white animal nuzzled his hand as he regained balance, eyes large and concerned.

"Akamaru…" The Inuzuka heir mumbled, a far off, lost look in his ebony irises, which made Akamaru even more worried.

"Home?" The big dog knew his master always felt his calmest in the depth of his own room, safe in his territory. This was the only thing he could think of to settle Kiba's nerves at the moment, that or find Luna. She always seemed to calm him down too. "Shall we find Luna?"

"No." He shot back quickly, almost making his canine flinch at the harshness. "Sorry, boy. Come on, let's go."

The pair took off, crossing the Inuzuka compound in minutes.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Kiba was mid-rant to his ever-faithful companion, when three sharp raps on the door spared Akamaru's ears the grief. He sniffed the air, but frowned when his nose came up blank.

Curiosity getting the better of the Inu nin, he crossed the room and slid open his door to reveal a little-too-happy Luna. He grimaced, cursing under his breath at the realisation that he couldn't tell who it was because that bastard's stench was almost completely masking hers. And it's a well-known fact that you can't smell your own scent.

"There you are!" Luna grinned, brushing past him and entering the room, oblivious to his displeasure. She made her way over to sit casually on his bed, pausing to pat Akamaru on the way. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Yeah well, here I am." Kiba muttered irritably as he leaned against the doorframe.

Luna raised an eyebrow slightly at his tone, but breezed over it. "Fancy some late night training? Let off some steam?"

"No thanks. I'm busy."

The same eyebrow raised again, higher this time as she scanned his empty bedroom. "…Doing what?"

"Just stuff. Why, do you think I'm lying or something?" He growled, harsher than intended.

"What? Of course not, I was just curious." Frowning, the she-wolf tried not to let his sour mood get to her and attempted a subject change. "So, I saw Hinata earlier. She said to say hi." _Small talk? Really, Luna?_

"Oh. Hi, back then, I guess."

Silence.

"Hey, her and Naruto seem to be getting closer these days!"

"Really?" He honestly couldn't have sounded more disinterested if he tried. His voice was so mind-numbingly flat that Luna didn't think it was humanly possible to be so bored.

"Mhm…"

The silence stretched on, the elephant in the room growing larger by the second until Luna couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, _what_ is _wrong_ with you?" She demanded, throwing her arms out on either side of her, palms raised. "Why are you being like that?"

"I'm not being like anything." He sulked, crossing his arms and turning away from her slightly, his actions completely countering his statement.

" _Kiba_!" She groaned, annoyed to have to drag it out of him. "Geez you're like a moody teenager right now. Stop pouting, for God's sake."

"I'm not pouting!"

"If the wind changes your face will stick like that, you know!" Akamaru whined, and while Luna couldn't understand the words, she recognised his agreement.

"See, Akamaru knows somethings wrong, too."

"Will you quit pestering me then?"

"I just wanted to catch up a bit! I feel like I haven't seen you much recently…"

Kiba snorted and rubbed his chin, pretending to think. "Hmm, gee, I wonder why that is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luna asked, suspiciously, standing and taking a few cautious steps towards her friend.

The dog trainer shrugged, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Oh, I don't know, why don't you ask your other half? I mean, you two _are_ practically joined at the hip, right?"

" _Shikon_? Is he what this is about?"

"Don't give me that innocent and bewildered crap, you know damn well why you haven't seen me."

The girl reeled back in fury. "That is ridiculous! We've both been busy! Me more so under the circumstances, admittedly, but that's why I came to find you tonight."

Kiba scoffed, cruelly. He knew he was taking this too far, that things were getting out of hand, but he was just _so angry_. "Like you'd care anyway, since you're leaving for good soon. It was only a matter of time. Well _good riddance_ to you both, I say!"

"…Wait, what? I'm leaving?"

That was the last straw for Kiba. One hand fisted and slammed backwards into the wall behind him as he stood up to his full height, moving to tower over her as he roared, "Don't insult me with that damn lie! I'm not stupid. I overheard you earlier, so I know all about your little plans to sneak off with that bastard fake when the portal is opened!"

Luna snarled probably the most ferocious snarl she'd ever expressed toward him and shoved him backwards, hard. Akamaru made a noise in the back of his throat and jumped to his master's side, instinctively defensive.

The she-wolf's ears were pinned to the back of her head and every hair on her tail stood on end, making her look more like a very angry cat than a wolf. "You _idiot_! If you'd stuck around long enough to hear my answer you'd know I said no!"

The room was once again quiet momentarily, with only the sound of angry panting from both parties.

"You said no?"

She couldn't help but detect the slight hint of hopefulness in his question. "Yes, I said no. I'm staying put."

"…Why? What about seeing your family?" Kiba's face was nothing short of total confusion.

"They aren't really _my_ family. They were _hers_. And because I like it here, that's why." Her hybrid ears perked upwards slightly from their flattened position, as though testing whether or not the tension was easing up.

"You… like it here…" It wasn't a question. It was more like he was trying the statement out on his own tongue, but for what, Luna wasn't sure. Apparently it didn't fully pass his test, because he tilted his head and repeated, "Why?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Luna sighed at his blank expression, and resisted slapping a hand over her face. "It's just like you keep telling me. I have friends and people who are important to me here. I don't want to leave them… That includes you, Kiba."

The Inu nin's mouth fell open slightly, forming a small 'o' shape as his cheeks tinged pink. Luna had to hold back a blush of her own, at the pure look of surprise on his face.

"I wouldn't leave you like that, especially not after everything you and your family have done for me."

Ebony irises softened, and Luna's scarlet ones widened as Kiba reached out to pull her to him. Her breath caught in her throat as he hugged her closer, nose nuzzling her hair.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, so gently that the flap of a butterfly wing would have drowned him out.

"I-it's fine…" Hesitantly, she began to lift her arms to return the gesture. His grip on her shoulders tightened ever-so-slightly as she responded, enough to encourage her to complete her action. With her arms now securely wrapped around his waist, Luna finally felt herself relax, leaning into his warmth. "You… didn't hear anything else after that, did you?"

Kiba's eyebrows pulled together slightly, concerned. "No… Should I have?"

"No, no! Not at all. That's good." She breathed, relief flooding her as she returned her focus to their hug.

It was only when Akamaru nudged their sides with his head that the pair broke apart.

Kiba cleared his throat awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck while Luna hovered in the doorway.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then." She mumbled, shyly.

He grinned in response, and just like that the tension was lifted. "Night, Luna."

* * *

" _I could see them again…"_

 _Shikon smiled softly as Luna's ruby irises began to quiver. "Your death really hit them hard, you know. Your father, especially."_

 _The she-wolf sniffed as she listened, mind working a mile a minute as she tried to organise her options. On the one hand, she could see her family again, alive and healthy and happy… and living in the Leaf village, of all places! But then, she'd be leaving everything she'd worked so hard for here. The bond with her new-found friends, not to mention the Inuzukas. And then there was Kiba…_

" _I know it's overwhelming, and scary. I can tell you that first-hand, being thrown into a strange world where everything you know is not quite right, but will you think about it, at least? For your family's sake… and for mine?"_

 _Her eyes lifted to meet his again, scarlet orbs clouded with indecision. "I am thinking about it. I'm very tempted, in fact. There are so many reasons why I should agree to come with you…"_

" _But you won't." The Inu doppelganger finished her unspoken words. The gentle resolve was clear in her expression, her body language, even her scent. She wouldn't leave this village after everything it's people had done for her and all the hard work she had put into making a life here._

 _However, Shikon wasn't completely oblivious. He could tell the true reason that she wouldn't leave with him the second her eyes met his._

"… _You love him, don't you?"_

 _Panic flashed across the hybrid girls face, eyes flattening in automatic denial._

 _Shikon chuckled, raising his hands to keep her calm. "It' alright, don't worry. You're secret's safe with me. I understand. I understand completely, actually." His smile turned melancholy, hands dropping to his sides as though in defeat._

 _Choosing to ignore the insinuation on her feelings, she returned his sad smile. "I hope you can find love again in your world. I mean, I know that's what the other me would have wanted for you."_

" _Thanks Lulu– erm, Luna. Thank you." He forced a grin, but the notion was genuine. He was glad to have met her, even if she wasn't the one he had fallen in love with._

* * *

The evening the Hokage returned to the Inuzuka compound with the news of their success came all too soon for Luna, and she struggled to keep a brave face when they explained their jutsu process.

Their breakthrough revealed that they'd be able to open some sort of portal, but with their limited technology and knowledge on the matter, it would be risky at best. The portal would be a one-way system, and there's be no way to conclude whether or not Shikon arrived back home safely or not. And that thought terrified the wolf girl.

"So, you want me to jump through a one-man sized hole in space and time, with no guarantee I'll even get home, let alone survive?" Shikon asked, voicing all of it's flaws in one question.

"It's not ideal, but we cannot leave things as they are. The balance of the universe is in danger, I'm sure you can understand that." Tsunade reasoned, sounding far too calm about the whole thing.

Shikon's expression remained unconvinced, but he could tell there was no compromising on the resolution from here. They wanted him out of their world by any means necessary, and no amount of bargaining would spare him. Turning to the one person he hoped might offer him some hope, he was discouraged to find Luna looking as dire as he felt.

"So that's it then. It's decided." He mumbled, defeated. Though no one looked particularly happy to see him go. Even Kiba's expression was dubious. He might have hated the guy, but he didn't want him dead!

Tsunade took the moment of silence to speak, the authority in her voice ringing loud and clear, as any good leader should have sounded. "We shall commence the jutsu immediately. It will take approximately six minutes until it is in full force, which will likely be the safest time for you to enter, when it's at it strongest. Please use the time between then and now to say your goodbyes."

With a quick nod to Tsume and two of the Hokage's private Anbu guard members, the four began to form a series of hand signs that Luna didn't bother to keep track of.

Attention focusing on Shikon, she felt her eyes well with nervous tears for her newest friend's wellbeing.

Unable to hold herself back, Luna threw herself forward for an uncharacteristic hug. She'd come a long way from the fragile young wolf girl, alone and untrusting of the world as she had been back then. She had the Inuzuka's to thank for that, but Shikon was a special case.

"Hey now, don't cry for me." He murmured softly into her hair, stroking her back comfortingly and ignoring the tension rolling off his mirror image.

"But even if it all goes well, you'll be all alone again… I just couldn't bare it…" She sniffed. Both Kiba's knew the she wolf had known such loneliness in her past, and both knew these were more than just tears of worry. She was sharing his pain, the pain he was yet to feel once again.

But Shikon kept a brave face, letting out a low chuckle. "I've managed the last three years without Lulu, I can last the next without you, Luna. But thank you, for everything."

He pulled back slowly, forcing her to look him in the eye. "I do wish you could have come with me, but we both know you have some unfinished business here, right?"

She nodded miserably, knowing exactly what and who Shikon was referring to.

"Don't make the same mistake I did… Hold onto him." He whispered into her ear, so quietly that only she could hear those heartfelt words. "I'll miss you. Have a good life."

A small smile made it's way onto the lupine girls face, her ears perking up slightly. "You too."

Her response was simple, but that was all there was to say.

Shikon's gaze shifted over her shoulder to where Kiba was sulking in the background. "Take care of her."

Kiba bristled at the comment, taking it patronisingly. "Yeah, yeah. Get out of here…" He grumbled, but Luna had to cover a laugh at his brooding.

Smiling more strongly at the Inu before her, she watched as he stepped away and approached the swirling vortex the Leaf ninja were forming.

"Ready when you are!" Tsunade called over the rumbling of the jutsu.

Shikon stepped forward bravely, but stopped suddenly as though remembering something. "Oh, Luna! I almost forgot to warn you!"

The growling of the vortex had begun to raise in volume, and the friends found they had to shout slightly now to be heard.

"I don't know about your world, but in ours, the Hihanta is still around."

Luna's heart leapt as she felt her blood run cold upon hearing that title. Her mouth fell open, and she stared back in horror as Shikon's final words disappeared into the portal.

"The Hihanta is an ideal, not a person. He won't be so easy to… rid yourself… of…"

With a whoosh and a gargle, the vortex swivelled into itself. It swallowed the estranged Inuzuka and his foreign world within it, collapsing like a black hole, leaving the training field in a deathly silence.

The hybrid girl choked back a quiet sob, falling back into the comforting arms of _her_ Kiba, the one she was so much more familiar with. His warmth and scent enveloped her, and all at once she felt a million times better, despite everything.

"It is done." Tsunade concluded, having nothing more to add and sensing the duo needed their space. With a graceful nod to the Inuzuka alpha, her and the two Anbu members vanished into the night.

Tsume turned to her son and the sniffling girl who was still in his embrace. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Luna. You did well, both of you."

Although her words were few and far from comforting, they served their purpose well, allowing the woman to make a civil exit. Even Akamaru trundled away after the alpha female, which Kiba was surprisingly thankful for. He'd missed having time with his best friend alone, even if it was an occasion such as this.

"Hey, Luna?"

"Hm?" The hybrid girl sniffed, raising her head slightly to look up into soft onyx eyes.

"What did he mean before, by 'unfinished business'?"

Luna faltered momentarily, but managed to recover quickly. "Just that I have friends here, and I'm working to build a life with you all."

The dog trainer seemed satisfied with her answer, returning to hugging her into his chest and seeming to enjoy her company as much as she was his.

But Luna's thoughts had now turned elsewhere. _Hihanta is an ideal, not a person…_

She had known that all along, but hadn't really given it much thought. Had she been foolish to dismiss him so carelessly?

"You hungry?" Kiba's voice broke through her worry, and all at once she felt so safe again, beside him. Kiba made it hard for Luna's fears to consume her, but she knew it was something that needed some serious consideration.

But not tonight, she decided. Tonight, she'd let him carry her away from it all. Tonight, she was safe.

But for how long?

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for reading my little spin off to 'The Inu and the Okami', I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! The fic will now continue as it was prior to these 2 chapters. :)

Peace out guys!


	10. The Used and Abused

**A/N:** I AM SO SORRY this is so late, but I am really trying to get back into it. I've had very little inspiration to write this recently but I am sticking to the storyline, and I am trying to move things forward, your support would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do no own Naruto or any of its characters, unfortunately.

* * *

 **The Used and Abused**

It was still the dead of night when they put their plan into action, Naruto and Kiba darting from rooftop to rooftop on silent feet towards the Hokage tower. Akamaru had found them somewhere along the way, but after a quick explanation, the canine was more than happy to assist. The three had equal trust in their comrades to keep Neji and Shikamaru off their scent for the time being, but knew all hell would break loose if they were unable to get past the prison guards without detection.

Dropping to the streets to run the last few yards, the threesome began to formulate their method.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Naruto whispered in the quietest voice he could muster, which admittedly wasn't very quiet at all.

Akamaru lifted his nose to the air momentarily, nostrils flaring, then growled lowly as Kiba translated. "There are three sentries stationed at the sides of the entrance, and two just inside. If we can take out the front without alerting the others, we might be able to pull off a transformation jutsu and walk right past them."

"Alright, leave this to me!"

"Wha– wait! Naruto!" The Inuzuka hissed, but his protests were too slow as the orange clad ninja disappeared faster than Kiba knew Naruto was capable. _Guess there's nothing I can do but believe in him…_

Several minutes of silence ticked by, and Kiba fingernails were taking the brunt of his nerves. "Where is that idiot…?"

No sooner than the words had been uttered, a loud poof and a cloud of smoke exploded before him.

"Damn it, Naruto! You almost blew our cover, keep it down!" The Inu nin scolded, rubbing Akamaru's neck, but his friend was smirking proudly. Kiba's onyx irises slowly descended to three slumped figures lying behind the Uzumaki, seemingly unconscious.

"Who says I can't be sneaky?!" Naruto asked smugly, teeth showing in a cocky grin.

Kiba chose to simply roll his eyes, transforming into one of the sentries hurriedly. With a little help from Kiba, and a twisted version of the man beast clone, Akamaru's appearance altered too, and both turned to the blonde to do the same. Naruto complied, and after securing the bonds around the guards' wrists and tucking them away in an alley, the duo and canine began the infiltration.

Forcing his fists to unclench, Kiba tried to act casual while entering the prison, passing by the next two wardens as smoothly as possible. One inclined his head briefly in acknowledgement, but other than that they appeared uninterested. _Phew_.

Once past the initial guard patrol, Kiba decided it would be unlikely to find any other sentries stationed from here to the cell, especially since the prisoner they currently held wasn't exactly being held against her will. A quick, quiet bark from Akamaru confirmed the theory, and the friends picked up the pace as they jogged silently through the passageways. That is, until Naruto decided to dig his heels in the ground all of a sudden, skidding to a halt.

"Oh wait!" He exclaimed as Kiba struggled to avoid a direct collision the orange clad ninja in front of him.

"What now, dummy?! And don't just stop without warning!"

"What if… What if when we get there, she's asleep, and we have to wake her up?"

"…Are you serious?" With a quick whack of Naruto's head, the dog trainer pushed past his comrade with a disgruntled huff, Akamaru at his side. "Her clan is nocturnal, I think we're good. And as if that would be an issue anyway, idiot."

Unsurprisingly, Luna wasn't asleep. In fact she was far from it, pacing almost impatiently at the back of her cell, tail swishing side to side. Pushing open the barred door into the room that held the she-wolf, Kiba flinched as her head whipped round at the noise, face contorting from relief, to confusion, to annoyance.

"If you're here for the reason I suspect you're here…" She began, teeth bared warningly as she glowered at one visitor to the next.

The Inuzuka heir held up his hands before she could shoot them down. "Wait, wait. Just hear me out. It wasn't only my plan for once, everyone agreed it was for the best." He figured best not to mention the few opposing members… "Locking you in a cage is _not_ the answer to–"

"It doesn't matter how the answer is found, only that it is!" The hybrid snapped, anger rising along with her voice, but she ignored Naruto's shushing noises. "The Hokage said it herself, this is only a temporary solution, one that I am more than happy to comply with if it keeps you… a-and everyone else safe." She stumbled a little over her words, but breezed over her blunder before the two on the other side of the cage could notice. "Kiba, if I can't control myself, it puts the whole village in danger. As soon as the bastard behind all this is found, everything can go back to normal." _Whatever 'normal' was_.

"Luna, this is ridiculous, you aren't gonna hurt anyone. I won't let you. Now get out here!" He demanded, twisting the key, which Naruto had plucked from a set of drawers, in the heavy metal lock.

"Stop that!" She hissed, backing away. " _You_ might trust me, but _I_ don't. Why can't you just leave things alone?"

"Because I–" Kiba choked suddenly on whatever he was going to say, ebony irises widening. Akamaru lifted his giant head to his human, something registering behind his dark eyes, before Kiba returned to normal and changed his persuasion tactic. "Just come out of there, you're a wolf, you're proud. You don't want to choose to stay locked away when you can take matters into your own hands… or paws!"

"Erm, guys, I'm going to stand guard outside, kay?" The blonde ninja mumbled, suddenly feeling like a third wheel, despite the dog in the room.

Neither of them even batted an eyelid as their friend made his swift exit.

"Wolves may be proud, but we aren't stupid. We're tactical, we know when we're beat."

"How can you give up so quickly when you have so many people behind you?" Swinging open the cell door with a louder-than-necessary clang, he waved around the room. "Look at what you're putting yourself through! What would your family want, for you to roll over and let the village do all the fighting? Or would they want you to look him in the eyes and show him he messed with the wrong hybrid."

The girl seemed to hesitate at this, genuinely considering her options. He knew she was torn, and he knew how difficult this was for her. But he needed her to come with him. He just _needed_ her to.

Kiba's arm reached toward her, fingers outstretched in an hopeful gesture. "You're strong, do this for yourself, if not for me."

Her eyes locked with his, a final plea. Kiba held her gaze firmly, determination and not a hint of doubt nearing his features as he silently begged her to trust him. But she _did_ trust him, it was herself and the Hihanta she had issues with.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she took one delicate step towards Kiba's hand. Then another, and another, until their fingers brushed together and he wrapped his hand around hers, tugging her gently across the threshold.

" _Thank you_." The Inu breathed, unable to hide the relief in his voice and expression. The large canine whined lowly in agreed relief, earning a light head ruffle from the she-wolf.

At that moment, the loud orange clad ninja came crashing into the holding cells. "Guys, guys, we gotta run! We've been detected and there are Anbu everywhere!"

"Shit." Kiba growled, his hand clamping around Luna's tighter as he took off after Naruto, who had already begun to retreat.

"Follow me, I know a way out the back!" The Jinchuuriki called over his shoulder, earning a nod from his comrades.

Luna's eyes squeezed shut momentarily as she allowed the dog nin to yank her with him, Akamaru hot on her heels. But her feet dragged, the reluctance she still felt in her heart weighing her down, and Kiba noticed.

Spinning around hurriedly, he had scooped her off the floor and onto his back before she had a second to object, let alone register the action. His feet took of once again, a little slower with the added weight but worth it if it allowed them to keep moving, despite her guilt.

Kiba thought for sure she was going to protest, give him a whack and order her release, but none came. In fact, he almost tripped over his own feet when her arms tightened ever-so-gently around his neck, forehead resting just below the nape of his neck. The Inu nin could only hope she missed his nervous gulp and the way his heart began to pound in his chest, heavier than this sort of exercise usually induced.

Again, Akamaru remained silent at the exchange, but the same flicker of recognition sparked in his doggy expression.

They rounded another corner, and Naruto leapt to the side, beckoning them past and calling as they continued, "Exit's just up ahead. I'll draw the Anbu in!"

"Thanks!"

"Be careful!" Luna worried her lip, hair rippling across her face as she watched Naruto's figure disappear back the way they'd come.

"He'll be fine. The Hokage has an annoying soft spot for him." Kiba reassured her, sensing her rising guilt over someone else getting in trouble for her sake.

The exit Naruto had directed them too seem to lead into a spacious, cavern-like room, with a few candelabra lining the walls and only one other way out on the opposite side. The friends had slowed to a walk when they had entered, either out of caution or curiosity.

It took a few moments and a prompt from Akamaru for Kiba to realise where they were. "Oh! This is one of the evacuation tunnels that leads through the Kage mountainside. We'll be safe here for a while. No one comes here unless the village is under attack or something, and they need to get the civilians out, fast."

Luna appeared unconvinced, her ears remaining alert, but she trusted him. She was then suddenly very aware that he was still carrying her, and her arms were still wrapped securely around his chest.

Squirming a little, Kiba seemed to catch on and loosened his grip enough for her to slide off his back and onto her own two feet. Her tail wagged a little as she moved to run a hand along one of the walls.

"So what now then?" Her tone was less than enthusiastic as she slumped to the floor against the wall, but at least she was willing to consider their next move.

"Now we need to think of a way to draw the Hihan– er, sorry," The dog trainer backtracked upon the glare he received. "the _hunter_ , out of the village. We need him to follow us out of here, where we can fight him safely. Maybe you could howl to alert him where we are once we get out of these tunnels?"

"…I think that's a terrible idea."

Akamaru snorted in amusement as his master's face fell.

"What?! Why?"

"For starters, a howl will also be heard by the leaf ninja who are currently trying to find me, and then end up putting them in danger anyway. Secondly, this hunter isn't stupid, he knows I wouldn't be so careless as to give away my position like that unless it were a trap. And lastly, there is no 'we' in this. I'm going alone."

"Okay some good points you make there…" Kiba grumbled, ignoring the third reason. There was no way he was letting her go alone after everything so far, but he also knew there was no point arguing about it. She'd just have to deal with that later. "So what do you suggest?"

"I… don't know yet."

"Right. Great." A Whine from his side drew his attention to his great white companion. "What's that, boy?"

He listened to the dog's growls and woofs for a moment, then closed his eyes with a serious frown as he lifted his nose to the air.

Luna watched him expectantly, pushing chakra to her wolf ears momentarily in a vague attempt to see if they were being followed. What she heard was worse than a few jounin ninja.

With pinned ears and a snarl, she scrabbled to her feet. "You need to leave. Now."

"I know. Akamaru smelled him."

"Then what are you waiting for? Leave. Both of you!" Luna snapped her teeth, in a way that might have been threatening if her intended target was listening. But both Kiba and Akamaru's attention had shifted to the cavernous opening on the opposite side of the room, waiting.

Not wanting to be caught unprepared, Luna shifted into a battle stance, feet apart and tail tilted upward. Shedding the bandage from her arm so as not to appear weak, she readied herself as the footsteps and vague musical tone she had been concentrating on grew louder.

"Kiba, I am warning you, get out of here before it's too late. Don't you know how foolish it is to stick around when you've seen what he can do, what I could do!"

"Luna." He said, softly. Her name resounded in her ears like an echo, the way he'd spoken it so gentle and firm at the same time. He didn't need to say anything else, he wasn't going anywhere.

Bracing herself again, she refocused her energy away from her ears. He was close enough now that she knew he'd be upon them any second, and the last thing any of them needed was for this bastard to control her here.

She was strong, Kiba believed in her, and she believed in him. Her heart beat furiously as the last traces of doubt were forced from her mind. She only needed to resist long enough for one of the others to get that blasted whistle away from his grip. And then, she would strike, with all of her soul, she would kill him for what he'd done to her, to her family. She was strong, she was a wolf, she would endure.

And then, in the frame of the cave doorway, he appeared.

* * *

 **A/N:** Leave a review and I'll be forever grateful… and motivated! I don't know if anyone is still interested in this fic, so please let me know your thoughts.


	11. The Dog and the Devil

**A/N:** This is the scene you've all been waiting for! The big showdown, the final boss fight! Actually there's still quite a bit of story left after this but this is kinda the main crossing into the final third of the fic.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto or any of its characters, yet.

* * *

 **The Dog and the Devil**

The stench he carried was thick, musky and metallic, like stale blood. His charcoal-coloured cloak wrapped around his shoulders and trailed down his back and sides, dragging ever-so-slightly against the floor around him. The material was clearly well-worn, with jagged rips along the seams and shoulder-line. Beneath, he wore a forest coloured vest, much like that of a leaf chunin, and black ninja pants with loose ties around the hem of each leg.

His face hid behind a maroon, blood-splattered Oni mask, with a sabre-fanged front and heavily furrowed eyebrows over sightless eye sockets.

Luna's composure faltered and she shivered involuntarily. Kiba must have noticed as he inched closer to the she-wolf, almost sub-consciously. His nose scrunched several times as though smelling something awful, but there was some form of confusion on his features when she looked at him more closely.

She wanted to know what he was thinking, but before she got a chance to ask, the enemy made his first move.

A simple flick of the wrist was all it took, and the Inuzuka and his faithful companion sprang into action.

"Oh no you don't!" Kiba snarled as he crossed the cavern in seconds, just fast enough to delay the hunter use of his whistle. It gave Luna a moment to identify the object, noting its striking resemblance to the broken pipes found near her village entrance.

The attack from the dog trainer missed by a few inches, giving the trio a decent example of this enemies speed. He was fast. This was not going to be as easy as they had hoped.

The cloaked man reached for his weapon again, this time managing to bring it almost completely to his lips before having to dodge a string of kunai that narrowly missed his face, just clipping one ear.

Fresh blood spurted from the sudden wound, but the male didn't even flinch.

As Kiba and Akamaru transformed into their man-beast clone forms, Luna was able to shake herself from whatever state of immobility she had been in, and prowled forward slowly. Her movements were slow and calculated, as though one wrong step would alert the hunter of her already known presence, but she allowed her inner-wolf to take over.

Drawing close enough, she let out a snarl as her body was engulfed in smoke, a furious white wolf reappearing in her place. She could fight like this, she felt safer in this form.

Her animal senses kicked in, hearing and eyesight heightened, her red irises darting with each movement made by her choice of prey. It only took a minute for her to track the weakness in his gait, a slightly less elegant landing on his right leg, coming from a seemingly old injury to the knee that forbade him from straightening it smoothly. Her breath caught as she saw him move to land on that leg once again, and she pounced.

She caught his calf in her jaws and bit down hard, tearing through flesh and feeling the tender muscle rip beneath her fangs. Blood pooled around the limb but, as before, the male hardly seemed to notice. She tasted his chakra as it flooded to his feet, giving him enough strength to tear his leg from her mouth and leap into the air away from his assailants.

Luna shook her head, teeth still bared in a feral snarl as splashes of red flew from her mouth. Even Akamaru might have shuddered at the sight had he not been so focused on Kiba and disarming the intruder.

But somehow, he continued to evade them. For some reason, until now, he had been avoiding any attempt at fighting back. Perhaps he had been biding his time and letting them wear themselves out, or perhaps he'd been assessing his enemy's skills. Either way, when he did move to strike back, it was unexpected, fast, and effective.

He struck Akamaru with it first, a quick burst of chakra to a long nailed hand, looked almost like a combination of the gentle fist and the Inuzuka four-legs technique. Whatever the jutsu, it was enough to distract Kiba and Luna, even momentarily as they watched helplessly as the white canine landed in a quivering heap.

It only gave him one tiny window of time, but it was all he needed to regain control of the situation, quite literally.

Luna, remaining conscious for the first few seconds, was surprised to hear a soft melody play in her head, rather than the harsh call of an ordinary whistle she'd come to expect. It was almost hypnotising, the way it drilled into the darkest parts of her mind that even she didn't think she had access to. Her vision clouded, everything becoming blurred and estranged from reality. Fuzzy shapes moved in front of her face in a wave of colour and lines, which she struggled to identify. She had no clue whether the movement in front of her was friend or foe, and she lashed out suddenly when something touched her shoulder.

And then there was sound, echoing in a distant tongue, like she was only catching vague white noise of a fuzzy foreign language. She felt her feet move on their own, and then she was running, leaping, growling and panting.

Her vision blurred again, black, brown and a flash of red dancing before her in swift, jagged movements, like pieces of a darkened rainbow falling from the sky.

Her mind was foggy with confusion, the vast variety of jolting movements and zig-zagged colours making her brain throb so hard she could barely stand it. She felt her entire body weight grow heavy, like in those last few moments before succumbing to slumber, but the darkness never came. Just a constant stream of messy light and dark. And it frightened her.

Luna tried to shake her head, to clear the vision, but her body just wouldn't comply. The last time she remembered feeling such a fear as this was when she had last awoken to her wolf form towering over her brunette friend, giant paws pinning him to the ground and her open jaw hovered above his bared throat. She'd been horrified.

So horrified in fact, that as this memory became more prominent in her mind, the more her vision started to clear. And then, the dull noises she'd been hearing began to make more sense.

" _Lu…"_

And then, _"Na…"_

Luna. That was _her_ _name_. She could hear her name. Vaguely aware that her body had stopped moving of its own accord, she let chakra flow to her eyes and nose, diverting as much as possible from her ears.

 _That scent…_ Seemed so familiar. It made her feel safe, and warm. It made her want to inhale deeply, and be comforted around it.

And then, there was a face. Onyx eyes so wide and filled with concern, surrounded by two flashes of red and spikes of brown.

 _Kiba…_

It took more effort than she cared to show, but somehow, she pulled away from where she had backed him against a wall. She even managed to turn away, vision refocusing on someone else, who really made her see red.

Fangs snapping threateningly, she lifted one paw, then another, stalking towards the vile demon who had put them in this whole situation. The melody increased to a near-impossible pitch, and she was vaguely aware of blood trickling from her ears that lay flat against the back of her head.

The next few events happened too quickly for her tortured brain to react to.

The music relinquished it's hold on her so swiftly that she almost collapsed in the relief. Her eyesight returned blindingly fast, and she had to blink several times to readjust to the cavern's dim light. And lastly, a deep pain shot up her spine as she let out an agonizingly shrill yelp.

By the time she realized that it was Akamaru's fangs now clamped over her back, the she-wolf was ready to buckle under the giant white dog that, even in her full wolf form, still towered above her. Her shoulders shook and her chest heaved as her body tried to repel the burning sensation that was flooding her veins, but it was only when Kiba had managed to pry his dog's jaw from her back that she allowed her legs to crumple beneath her.

"Luna! Get up, now!" His words were far from comforting, strained and desperate as he was forced to defend her against his life-long best friend.

Luna responded with a whimper, fighting her protesting limbs as she heaved herself up. Her stance was wobbly at best, but she was standing.

"The Hihanta, always has an arsenal up his sleeve." The enemy's voice was unnervingly ordinary, sounding much like an average civilian male and not at all as evil or conniving as he was.

And Luna couldn't shake the term he had referred to. The Hihanta. So, the legends were true…

Enough. She had had enough of this. Throwing back her head with as much strength as she could muster, Luna let loose all of her aching and hurt into a ear-splitting howl. In the cavernous room, the cry echoed and resounded throughout every cell in Kiba's body, but he knew this was a good plan. He knew the leaf would hear her.

She was calling for backup, something he would have been proud of her for, had the situation allowed him time to. Luna was finally opening herself up and trusting that her friends would come to her aid when she needed them the most. She was finally breaking the barriers.

In his moment of understanding, the Inuzuka heir made a grave mistake, taking his eyes of Akamaru just a second too long. The dog leapt at him, claws protruding the fur around his toes and his open-mouthed snarl ready to tear him apart, had it not been for Luna.

Despite being almost half the dog's size, she barrelled into his already dirtied side with enough force to throw him off course. His attack then redirected at her, which she responded to instantly.

"No, stop! Don't hurt him, he can't control himself!" The dog-trainer shouted, the urgency evident in his voice.

Thankfully, Luna had already realised this, growling as Akamaru swiped at her front, catching the same front leg that had been injured previously. Kiba stood in shock as he watched the two white beasts circle each other, completely unsure as to whom to worry more about. It was like his own personal hell, something he refused to allow to continue.

Rounding on the person responsible, Kiba struck lucky as he registered the demon's concentration focused entirely on the canine and the wolf, and he timed his moment perfectly.

The force of his singular fang over fang move knocked the Hihanta almost the entire width of the room, his whistle tumbling away from him upon landing. Kiba and the demon-masked man both made a dash for the object, and although the Hihanta was the first to snatch it into his grasp, he grunted at the weight of Kiba foot on his hand. The boy wasted no time in stomping as hard as all of his chakra induced leg would allow, a feeling of brief satisfaction overcoming him at the sound of bones shattering.

"Kiba!" The new voice that joined the fray was beyond relieving, as he turned to find team guy, minus the mentor, racing towards them, Tenten to him, and the boys to Luna and Akamaru.

Since the whistle's tune had been broken, the white furry pair were now sat panting beside each other, Luna's red stained fur looking much worse than the canine's, but at least she was managing to remain conscious.

Tenten swooped in like a fountain in a desert, releasing a scroll from it's bindings and throwing it overhead. Chakra binding chains ripped from the paper surface, clanging together as they twisted in seemingly endless loops around the cloaked male on the ground.

"Are you alright?" The weapons-wielder questioned, noticing a trickle of blood running down the side of his face from beneath his headband.

"I'm fine…" He brushed off distractedly, otherwise ignoring his female comrade and rushing to the side of his best friend and wolf hybrid.

Luna, upon his arrival, returned to her mostly human form, hissing as she readjusted so that the strain on her back was lighter. Lee shifted so she could lean on his shoulder, while Akamaru licked her bloodied forearm, which had been reopened in his attack. The girl rubbed the top of his large head softly, their eyes meeting just long enough for each to convey their apologies.

And then, scarlet irises flickered to meet Kiba's, his breath hitching as he absorbed the tense expression she held the agony behind. But before he could process that horror any further, Tenten's voice rang out again.

"Erm, guys? You might want to come see this…"

She was crouching over the restrained figure on the floor, one hand against the ground, one holding up a blood-splattered Oni mask.

She inched to the side, revealing the man's face, and Luna had to quint to drink in all the features of her attacker.

The first thing she noticed were his eyes, like coal, dark and shaded and impossibly blank. It was as though the world could lie burning at his feet and he would barely bat an eyelid, their cold, unseeing gaze focused dead ahead in a trance-like stare. His shaggy brown hair hung in clumps over his face, light remains of tan lines ran across his eyebrow line as though there had once been some material fastened around his forehead. A hitai-ate, perhaps? Thin mouth set in a hard line, the man's vivid jaw line ran firm along the edge of his face, leading back to his hairline and cheek bones.

And then, there were his cheeks. His left displayed one clear, upside down crimson triangle, the colour of blood sending chills down Luna's spine as her eyes widened dramatically. His right cheek also bore a similar mark, although this one had been broken into four, angry red blotches, separated by three jagged scars. They looked like claw marks.

He was an Inuzuka?! Luna had barely put two and two together when she suddenly felt a rush of air as Kiba fled the scene, a heart-wrenching snarl ripping from his throat as he left.

"K-Kiba!" She cried out, more in surprise than to stop him, but there was not a chance in hell he was listening.

The hybrid stared after him for a long moment, confusion etched on her face until another horrified realisation struck. This man before her, the Hihanta, held such a striking resemblance to the Inuzuka heir that she almost staggered backward in shock. The air completely left her lungs as she stared, fixated on the figure bound in Tenten's weaponry.

Could he be… Kiba's father?

* * *

 **A/N:** So, I'm curious. Did anyone see that coming? I did try to drop a few hints, but I was being pretty vague, obviously didn't want to ruin the plot right off the bat!


	12. The Hybrid and the Human

**A/N:** Some fluff coming at you in this chapter, hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, sadly.

* * *

 **The Hybrid and the Human**

Luna was still reeling from her realisation when the Anbu, and various other leaf ninja she didn't care to learn the names of, arrived. The Hokage wasn't far behind, having already been alerted prior to the Hihanta's capture that Luna had escaped from her cell. Tsunade must have sensed the girls current state of shock, and decided to bypass her with little more than a sigh and an eyeroll. The hybrid girl was thankful for the avoided lecture. That could wait for another time.

At least she was free to roam the village again.

The Hangetsu hunter's face was covered before they led him away, this time with a brown potato sack. Much less flattering disguise for someone such as himself, Luna thought. He seemed so much more human like this. So much more vulnerable, without his Oni mask or his musical weapon of choice. But that only proved to unnerve the she-wolf more.

Someone tugged at her arm, lifting her wrist and examining the fresh blood now beginning to dry on her skin. Luna spared a moment to register the person as Sakura. _Of course, the Hokage's medical apprentice._

She allowed the pinkette to twist her arm this way and that, a swell of green healing chakra flowing from her palms and into the wound briefly before she moved onto her other injuries.

Luna almost cried out when even a gentle palm was pressed against her lower back, coaxing her into a standing position. The anguish must have been evident on her face, as Sakura's face paled as she focused her attention to the girls spine.

Akamaru, who had remained by Luna's side either out of guilt or shame, nuzzled her shoulder in a canine apology, whining and staring with big sad eyes.

The she-wolf could only shake her head with a small, forced smile. She knew he was hurting because of what he was forced to do to her, and she was in no means going to hold it over him. If anything, she understood him completely, and in a way, Luna was thankful that it'd been Akamaru attacking her and not the other way around. She didn't think she could live with that, again.

When the medical examinations were complete, the Hihanta locked away somewhere in the depths of the Leaf village and the remaining ninja trailing after their Hokage, the cavern seemed to swallow the light.

Yawning, she stretched her muscles as much as she could before her injuries began to protest, and nodded to the giant white canine to follow her. They left the cave in silence, neither pausing to look back.

Luna trailed quietly after Akamaru as the great white mutt followed his masters scent, pausing occasionally with his nose in the air or pressed to the ground.

They had departed on their search as soon as Sakura had finished insisting they both visit the hospital and vets as soon as possible. Neither had actually agreed to follow her advice right away though, technically. Besides, both were eager to find their Inuzuka friend.

It wasn't long before their hunt ended, right outside the Izakaya restaurant and bar that was closest to the Inuzuka estate. _Oh_.

"Sorry, Akamaru. No dogs allowed… Better put these away too." She mumbled as an afterthought, shrugging away her ears and morphing into her all-human form. Akamaru whined in acknowledgement, sitting himself down beneath the swing sign obediently as Luna made her way into the bar.

The establishment was quieter than she'd have liked, but then she hadn't expected it to be bustling this late at night. The she-wolf was surprised it was still open at all; it must have been past two at least. Kiba wasn't hard to locate. Slouched on a floor cushion at the back of the room, half asleep and swaying slightly, Luna couldn't help but worry. She'd never had to deal with a drunk before, and had half the mind to turn around and run before he spotted her. But she couldn't do that.

Sighing heavily, Luna approached his table, lowering herself onto the seat next to him. At first, he didn't react at all, and she wondered if he'd even noticed her arrival. After a few moments spent deliberating how to greet him, he solved the problem for her.

"It's been over fifteen years, since he left. I barely even recognise his scent."

Luna bit her lip. His words were vaguely slurred, though she wasn't sure whether that was from exhaustion or alcohol. She wasn't really one for heart-to-hearts at the best of times, but her empathetic side stubbornly reminded her that Kiba was her friend, and he needed her right now.

Suddenly very aware that she hadn't spoken in almost thirty seconds, she blurted, "You've done alright without him." And then proceeded to slap her forehead in unabashed regret.

Kiba threw her a half-hearted sideways glance, his movements small and sluggish. "You're not very good at this, are you?"

Her nose scrunched. "Sorry."

The Inu let out a quiet breath of amusement, chugging the last of his drink and closing his eyes. At least he saw the funny side of her stupid response. "I used to pretend he was dead. When other kids asked me where he was, I'd tell them he died on a mission defending the Leaf, or something else heroic sounding… Stupid, I know."

"That's not stupid at all." She murmured, touching his arm lightly. His eyes snapped to Luna's at the contact, startling her enough to withdraw her hand, but his expression was far from disapproving. It was a little unnerving, like he was waiting for her to continue. Was she supposed to keep talking?

Feeling a little awkward, she tried to take control of the situation. "Well, we should be heading home. It's really late, you know. Can you walk?"

"…You called it home." He noticed, voice soft and wistful.

"Well, I do live there for the time-being. Can you walk?" She repeated.

Kiba frowned, staggering to his feet and looking offended. "Of course. I'm not drunk!"

"Yeah? Well your cerebellum seems to disagree with you."

"Don't be using all your fancy words on me now…"

"It's a part of your brain. Controls your balance."

"I know what it means!"

The hybrid scoffed, disbelieving, but decided against arguing with him in this condition. It just wasn't worth it.

After slapping some money on the bar and a wonky nod to the staff member behind it, Kiba began to hobble to the exit. On his way, he managed to bump into two tables, knock over two empty glasses and almost tripped over the doorstep. Luna would have laughed if it hadn't brought on the realisation that she'd have to help Akamaru carry him home.

"I told you, I can walk just fine!" He grumbled, pushing on his canine's nose when he tried to shimmy him onto his back for the third time.

"Kiba~," Luna whined, getting agitated and beyond tired. " _Please_ , just let us help you," Luna tried again, wrapping her arm under his and draping it over Akamaru's withers. This time, he relinquished his protests and finally allowed the pair of them to lead him home.

Once finally inside, Akamaru apparently deemed Luna able to handle things on her own from here, and decided to sleep under the kitchen table that night. But convincing Kiba to get some sleep was proving impossible. She'd placed a full glass of water beside him and ordered him to sip it, which he was doing, thankfully, but when the next command she gave him was to sleep it off, he was having none of it.

Sighing, Luna stood up from the bedside and made to leave. "Fine, suit yourself."

The girl had barely even taken two steps toward he door when she felt his arm curl around her waist, pulling her back.

"Wait," he murmured, voice sounding a little less slurred than earlier.

She complied, pausing in his hold and waiting for him to release her so she could turn to face him, but his grip tightened and his other arm also found its way around her middle.

His nose touched the space between her shoulder blades softly, as though seeking comfort, and despite the gasp of surprise that slipped through her lips, she allowed it.

"What is it, Kiba?" She pressed, feeling a little awkward in their current position. Not to mention his 'affectionate' state was making her extremely nervous.

"…Stay." Although his words were muffled by the way he was now nuzzling her back, the raw emotion in them squeezed her heart. This was not a tone she was familiar with from her friend, and it hurt her to hear him sound so vulnerable.

It took a moment for her to realise he was waiting for a reply.

"Okay." She felt the warmth of his relieved sigh on her back before she heard it, and finally he released her waist and moved back enough for her to perch beside him.

Though their bodies remained too close for her to fully relax, Luna offered him a small smile. She wasn't sure how else to react in this situation. She knew she wanted to comfort him, but how could she do that when she herself was so far out of her comfort zone it made her want to run and hide?

"How's your arm?" Kiba asked, seemingly out of the blue.

Luna blinked, thrown off by the drastic subject change. "Erm, it's much better actually. I think it's finally on the mend."

As if to prove her point, she waved the loosely bandaged limb in front of him. The Inu nin's eyes followed the movement until it slowed, apparently taking this as an opportunity to see for himself.

His fingers wrapped around her elbow gently, holding her forearm in front of him with one hand, as the other carefully began to unravel the bandage. Luna was silent as she watched him work, unsure why even this action was making her mouth dry. IT was a perfectly innocent expression of concern for his friend, but the intensity behind his eyes was captivating.

When her skin was fully revealed, he angled it towards himself, turning it one way and then the other as he scanned the damage. The wound was pretty much completely healed, with only several jagged scar marks marring her flesh. As he turned it again, his gaze flickered to hers, watching observantly for any expression of pain. There was none.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Satisfied?"

A smirk slipped onto his lips in response. "Almost."

And then, before she could tug her arm away, he lifted the limb right up to his face, where he dusted the surface of her wrist with the lightest brush of his lips.

The she-wolf gaped at him, stunned. Blood rushed to her cheeks as her heart raced, each beat hammering in her chest so hard she swore he must've heard it. Or, considering he still held her by the wrist, he'd at least have felt her pulse jump.

"All better." He grinned, as though comforting a child.

"I told you it was…" Luna grumbled, brain failing her for any other words.

And then his lips met her forearm once more, slightly further up her arm than the first. And then again, and again. Higher and higher, and so softly, that she might not have felt them at all had she not been staring so intently at each action as though it were some strange, unexplained phenomenon. And in that moment, it was really.

His kisses paused slightly when he felt her shiver, his face now hovering in the crook of her neck, the space between them closed in such a short time.

"K-Kiba, you're drunk." She muttered, denying all possibilities behind his actions and trying to dismiss him.

"I'm not."

Her eyes met his as he raised his head to look at her directly. He sounded so sure of himself, but how could she believe him? His face was mere centimetres away, but he was making no attempt to close that gap, giving Luna time to analyse. Although, she was hyper aware of him holding her hands just above her lap while she debated with herself.

Though his words had gradually become less and less slurred since the bar, Luna hadn't noticed until now that Kiba's balance had returned, and that he could now maintain proper eye contact again. But still, she doubted he could have recovered so quickly, even with the fresh air and glass of water. Besides, wasn't this typical drunken behaviour of stereotypical adolescent men? Her lack of personal experience left her with little options on how to proceed.

After several long minutes, Kiba's eyes left hers, but only to follow the lines he'd begun tracing on her palm with his thumb. Feeling her own eyes slide shut at the sensation, Luna had to remind herself that this was not real, and neither were the butterflies stirring in her stomach. The callused texture of his fingers was both harsh and gentle against her feather-soft skin, the difference in their lifestyles presenting right there and then from such a simple touch. It was enough to send goose-bumps up her wrist and along her arm.

"What're you thinking?" He wondered aloud, voice no more than a whisper. He sounded… nervous.

What _was_ she thinking? Her eyelids parted slowly, scarlet irises unfocused beneath a furrowed brow. She wasn't, was the answer. And then, as if to prove that point, her hands lifted of their own accord to encircle his neck, pulling him to her mouth in a timid, gentle kiss.

Kiba matched her cautious pace at first, but soon grew impatient. Running his tongue along her lower lip, he pressed himself closer until she had to tilt her head back to continue. Bodies now sufficiently entwined, the Inu made a soft rumble in the back of his throat, successfully gaining access to Luna's tongue when her lips unlocked for breath.

Her eyes, though still closed, fluttered at the bold move, but she did not push him away. Vaguely aware of one of Kiba's hands tangling in her hair, Luna's heart thudded when a fang skimmed her bottom lip. This was beyond bizarre, she realised suddenly. She didn't even have feelings for Kiba in that way… Did she?

A frown slipped onto her features as she flipped back through her memories, trying to recall a particular moment when she had started to see him in a different light. When had these _feelings_ started? And how on Earth had they managed to seep through her iron defence?

There were things she knew about him that she suspected no one else did, like the time he'd told her of crying to the Third Hokage, but he'd told her that out of empathy for her family, right? Then when he'd hugged her so tightly right before the Anbu had come to lock her away, seemed so intense, but again, she'd simply rationalised that to him being there when she needed a friend.

Kiba had been there all along, it seemed, and Luna had never noticed. Until now.

The realisation must've seeped through her filter, as she felt her arms tighten around his neck and pull him closer, as though he would suddenly disappear and be lost to her forever. He must've sensed her conflict, because in the next second he had drawn back.

His forehead leaned against hers as they panted wordlessly, her eyes slipping open, unable to hold back her curiosity any longer. He gazed back at her with an unknown emotion, and Luna couldn't help but feel he was trying to tell her something in that moment.

Whatever he was going to say was lost when Luna suddenly broke into a startling yawn, surprising them both. Kiba was the first to break from the shock, laughing out loud at her embarrassed expression. The hybrid was quick to join in, unable to hold back at the bizarreness of the whole situation. The more she thought about the events of the day, the harder she laughed. It almost got to the point where she was starting to question which of the two was supposed to be drunk!

They somehow found comfort in the insanity, not long after managing to fall asleep, side by side. She was sure by morning their silly moods would have sobered, but that was tomorrow's problem.

For now, she just wanted to sleep.

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 **A/N:** Please leave me some feedback! :)


	13. The Father and the Son

**A/N:** I just want to thank each and every one of you still reading this fic, it means a lot to me. The storyline is going to be tying up in a few more chapters, though I'm not sure exactly how many I'll fit it into yet!

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

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 **The Father and the Son**

As the events of the previous night unfolded in his mind, Kiba let out a sigh, watching as his breath clouded the window before him. Sitting with one knee bent upwards, and the other leg swinging over the side of the window ledge seat, he had been trying to make sense of their current situation for the past half an hour.

When he had awoken, practically nose-to-nose with a certain wolf-eared girl, his first reaction was to freeze, terrified he'd wake her up before he had a chance to analyse everything. It wasn't that he regret his actions with her, he just wasn't sure how to proceed with them. And, in truth, it kind of scared him.

As heir to his clan, he'd always just assumed his future would be out of his control anyway, as with Shino and his family. The bug-user had already begun arrangements for meeting with suitable matches, that both he and his parents approved of. The Aburame clan rules were strict, stricter than the Inuzuka's. Shino would only have until his 21st birthday to decide on a mate, and the girl in question had to be both a strong shinobi, and an Aburame. Kiba hadn't like the idea of an arranged marriage himself, but Shino, being the laid-back and traditional kind of guy, had expressed no such detest. It was simply something he had accepted and was resigned to do.

For Hinata, she had dodged the bullet completely when her younger sister, Hanabi, had assumed the title of future Hyuga heiress. Although at first his teammate had felt shunted from her role, it hadn't taken her long to realise she would now be free to marry whomever she chose.

And then there was Kiba. His family were almost as strict as the other two clan names, but with two important differences. Their stubbornness, and their pride. Stubborn because no matter the laws on their future alpha's mate, said heir was more than likely to disobey them anyway and choose whoever they wanted, provided their partner could prove their worthiness to the rest of the pack. And proud because if their heir appeared to being pressured into a certain marital contract, or swayed in the direction of an approved female, he would appear weak, and that was not something the Inuzuka's were.

Kiba had never really stopped to spare a thought to the idea of romance, only ever been focused on becoming a stronger shinobi, and finally being able to make his mother proud. But he would never admit the last part out loud.

He wasn't sure when these feelings had first stirred in him, or if there was a defining moment when the dog-trainer began to see Luna differently, but with the added fuel of liquid confidence last night, it had become blatantly clear. However, no matter how deep these feelings ran, he definitely didn't need the rest of the pack, or his mother, finding out anytime soon.

A soft shuffling from his bed alerted him that he'd run out of musing time, the noise followed by a gentle voice. "How are you feeling?"

Eyebrows furrowing, he turned his face slightly to view her with one eye. Her hair was ruffled on the side she'd been sleeping, her ears flexing as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm not hungover, if that's what you're getting at…" He hoped the confidence in his voice was enough to convince her that what happened last night was intentional.

"Well I guess that answers my next question too."

Rising from his window seat, Kiba crossed the room. Her breathing hitched as he kneeled beside her, eyes widening as he lifted her wrist to his mouth in a similar fashion to previously. It was a single, chaste kiss that could easily have been mistaken for a polite greeting, had the situation been any different.

"How are you feeling?" He repeated her question, releasing her arm and leaning back a little.

Luna seemed to ponder the question momentarily, as if debating some hidden meaning. "I'm fine."

Kiba rolled his eyes with a smirk at the vague answer, making her smile and re-evaluate her reply.

"I'm much better, thanks." Lifting both arms into a stretch, she winced as her muscles ached and groaned. "Actually, I take that back. I've been better…"

The Inu nin chuckled and offered her the half empty glass of water on the bedside table, which she accepted and glugged eagerly. As she drank, Kiba had a few seconds more to panic. He hadn't even considered her side of things yet. Although _he_ didn't, what if she _did_ regret what happened between them? What if she had simply felt sorry for him, or was just feeling particularly vulnerable after the events of the night? It was understandable, after everything she'd gone through…

The panic running through his mind must have been blatant on his face, because no sooner than the worry began to engulf him, Luna reached out a hand to tentatively touch one of his cheeks. Her thumb brushed over one of his red tattoos, the sensation making him shiver as his eyes snapped to hers.

Her face held a shy smile, as though trying out the expression for the first time. He leaned forward unwillingly as he inhaled, her earthy scent drawing him closer subconsciously. His lips now hovered just millimetres away from Luna's, her scarlet irises staring up at him through hesitant, lidded eyes.

It was at that moment that an unwitting Tsume chose to burst in through the delicate shoji door, ranting and rambling about the Hihanta's reveal, her fury overpowering any emotion Kiba had ever experienced from his mother.

They had managed to spring apart just in time, though neither could hide their startled and slightly embarrassed expressions.

Shaking out of it first, Kiba growled a little as he attempted to calm his mother. "Ma, wait, just slow down. Have you been to see him?"

"Yes, of course, I've been to see him, you fool. I had to go and identify him, didn't I!" She growled back with unrivalled ferocity.

Luna was wise enough to stay silent throughout the tirade.

"Where are they keeping him?" Kiba ground out, his own anger rising the more he thought about the Hihanta's true identity.

But Tsume caught on to his intentions right away. "Oh, hell no. There is no chance you - either of you – are going anywhere near that bastard traitor."

"You think I'm just gonna sit back after what he–"

"Kiba!" Tsume roared, scaring Yume half to death and silencing her son in a heartbeat. The gleam in her eye was deadly serious. The Inuzuka alpha was not budging one inch on this matter. " _Neither_ of you," She stressed again, "are to go anywhere near him. Do you understand me?"

The duo nodded mutely, until Tsume demanded again, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Yes, ma."

"Alright then. The Hokage and I will deal with this."

Kiba grit his teeth, balling his fists in frustration at having to submit to her over this matter. Luna's hand itched to touch his, wanting to comfort him. She knew he must have a million questions racing through his mind, as did she, but she also knew no amount of affectionate nudges or words of comforting wouldn't ease this situation.

"Oh and, by the way," Tsume called over her shoulder as she made to leave. "Don't think I haven't noticed that little scent change between you two."

"Wha– Errr…" Kiba spluttered unintelligibly, as the door slid shut without another word from his mother. He glanced at Luna's equally frozen form, and then back at the closed door.

Guess the rest of the pack might be finding out a little sooner than he'd hoped.

Of course, Kiba had no actual intention of obeying his mother's orders. His incredible tracking ability was all he needed to locate the Hihanta's holding place, ironically being in the very cell Luna had been held in, not 24 hours earlier.

And while the Anbu guard system was considerably more intense than when it'd been her in his place, the Inuzuka was positive they would allow him through, given the circumstances.

Luna had insisted on going with him, either for her own peace of mind, or to ease the trouble that he would undoubtedly be in once his mother found out.

"You ready for this?" He asked, noticing her tense up as the Kage tower came into view.

"Are you?" She countered.

Mouth pressed into a thin line, he reached or her hand in response. They were as ready as they could ever be.

"Halt, Kiba Inuzuka. We are under strict orders not to let you or the hybrid anywhere near this prisoner." A guard stated robotically as they approached. Luna bristled a little at being referred to as 'the hybrid', but there were bigger issues on the table at the moment.

Like Kiba's increasing temper. "Strict orders?! By who?"

"By me."

The pair turned, finding themselves face to face with Tsunade, fifth Hokage of the leaf.

"My ma go to you first, didn't she?" Kiba grumbled, his hand tightening around Luna's. Tsunade, thankfully, chose not to comment on that little detail.

"Actually, it was by my suggestion that she ordered you to stay away. Do you have any idea how bad this could get if he got hold of her again?" They both knew who she was talking about. Whistle or not, they really didn't know what else the Hihanta was capable of.

"And you!" The blonde address the she-wolf, who had been staring at the floor. Her head snapped up at the attention. "This is the man responsible for all that pain you're feeling right now. And maybe even the deaths of your entire family. Do you really want to face such an evil?"

The girl gulped. It was difficult hearing it all spelled out like that. However, whether it was Kiba's reassuring grip on her hand, or her pride as a wolf, Luna's head rose to look Tsunade square in the eye.

"I do." The leaf ninja blinked, surprised by her boldness. "I want to know why."

Kiba gave her hand a squeeze, turning to face Tsunade alongside the hybrid girl.

Tsunade assessed their determination quietly, pondering the consequences. She knew in her heart of hearts that this visit would only serve to bring them more pain and sorrow than either had already experienced, and she knew that they were both unprepared for it. But, they had an equal right to face this prisoner, and the Hokage realised that one way or another, they would. It might as well be with her permission.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, Tsunade stepped aside.

"Lady Hokage?" One of the guards asked, confused by his leader's decision.

"Let them pass, Kazuwa."

"Y-yes, Milady."

Luna inclined her head towards the village Kage. She was thankful to the woman for understanding, but her nerves would not allow for her to express her gratitude verbally.

"Thank you," Kiba breathed as they passed, his voice sounding slightly shaky.

The cell was darker than Luna remembered, and much more ominous. Admittedly, the leaf ninja had been trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible, but still. It was like entering an underground alternate world. Their Anbu guard who had been guiding them to the room paused outside the door, before unlocking it and allowing them through. When they were in, he locked it again behind them. An extra precaution, he'd said.

Inside there were two other guards either side of the barred wall, who exchanged unidentified glances at their arrival.

Luna's heart pounded, her vision blurring as she panicked and wondered if they should turn back. Sensing her unease, Kiba stepped forward bravely, nose twitching as he released her hand and approached the cage.

His expression twisted at the odour, not only smelling blood, but damp and sweat and grime, too. Kiba felt his pulse quicken when his eyes finally came to rest on the one he had once called father. He was truly a disgraceful sight.

His brown hair was matted and tufted, his breathing ragged as his chest heaved with every exhale against the chains wrapped securely around his torso. His dark eyes were cold and blank, staring at the floor not having seemed to even notice his visitors. Kiba suspected the chains were blocking his chakra flow, as there were several angry red marks marring the skin around his bare upper arms where sleeves had been torn from his shoulders.

The young Inuzuka suspected some amount of torture had already ensued, and judging from the pools of dried blood littering the cell floor, it was pretty obvious he had not been very forthcoming with his answers.

The prisoner finally appeared to notice him, eyes flickering up darkly, lips morphing into a smirk.

"So, you're here."

Kiba's fists clenched at the voice he had missed so much as a child.

"I knew you'd come."

He watched as his son's mouth opened and closed, unable to speak either from fear or fury. The Hihanta suspected the latter.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, son?"

Finally something in Kiba snapped, as he lurched for the bars with a loud clank. "Don't you dare, don't you dare call me that!"

"If you're here about the Hangestu wolves, I'm happy to indulge on every little gory detail. For a price of course…" His cruel eyes flicked over to where Luna stood, quivering.

Her ears flattened as she retreated a little, her back hitting the locked prison door where a guard stood watch on the other side. She wanted the ground to swallow her, to squeeze her eyes shut and never have to open them again. The prisoner's smirk widened, the unspoken threat lingering between them until Kiba broke the silence.

"So it's true then. It _was_ you."

She knew he was referring to the murder of her family, but neither of them wanted to say it.

The monster debated answering for a minute, licking his lips. "Technically, they did it to themselves."

"What?" Kiba snarled, in no mood for games.

"The wolves tore themselves apart. The whole, disgusting pack, ripped each other into pieces before me… All except one. The one that got away…"

"You bastard, leave her out of this!"

"You know, you aren't the first wolf to resist the control of the whistle." He stated cryptically, turning his attention to Luna and ignoring his son's warning snarl.

Her ears prickled at this, and the ex-Inuzuka noticed.

"Your mother managed to break free of its power too. Oh, she was so heroic, taking the brunt of her children's attacks while fending off your father's on them. Protecting her pups until her dying breath, when the great alpha male finally tore through her windpipe and sent her sprawling across the crimson stained floor…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH." The sound of the metal bars clanging reverberated loudly as Kiba threw himself at his father, fists clenching in the material of his cloak wrapped around his neck through the bars.

"I think that's enough for today." The Anbu guard nearest to the hybrid girl muttered dryly, stepping forward to remove Kiba from the cell bars. "Perhaps you should leave now."

Albeit reluctantly, the young dog trainer released the monster with a furious shrug, eyes glowing with a fury beyond anything he'd ever felt before. Without a second glance, he returned to Luna's side, tugging none too gently on her forearm and leading her away.

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 **A/N:** If you review, I'll update :D This is the last of my pre-written chapters so I'm back to live updates, and reviews always motivate me and I'd love it if you could share your thoughts with me on this fic so far. Thank you :) Have a nice day!


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